I just realized something about my experiences with women throughout my life which I am sure is RP related. Basically , no girl has ever broken up with me, and meant it. Every time a girl has told me she doesn't want to be with me any more in my life (age 35, 4 serious relationships lasting over a year) what she has really meant is "I want something to change, and I am going to blackmail you by threatening to leave unless it changes". When I was younger, this would inevitably lead to me breaking down and promising I could be "the man she wanted me to be" or something equally cringe. When a girl has really wanted to break up with me, she doesn't tell me that. She just acts in a way which makes it increasingly obvious, while all the time assuring me that she wants us to be together. Tactics might include constant refusal of intimacy, name dropping other guys who are sniffing around, or just not returning my calls for a while then acting prissy when I ask what is up. It's clear that the intention here is to get ME to break up with her. Anyone else get this? Just wondered how it fits into RP.

tl;dr "I want to break up" = "I want you to change into what I want" ; "I still love you and want to be with you, but I'm going to act like I don't at all times" = "Please break up with me, I'm too weak to do it myself".