I know, I know, this is not the infamous Dark Lord of the Sith. Apparently he was camera shy, because there are no pictures of him in the ones we get to choose from. So instead I picked a pivotal representation of Darth Plagueis' teachings - Brother against Brother (it doesn't get any more evil than that). Anyway; If there are any Sith who study the under the tutelage of Darth Plagueis (or are curious about his teachings anyway), pay attention. He truly knew the underlying mental structures of most species in the galaxy, and as a Jedi in pursuit of knowledge of the all aspects of the Force, I have taken it upon myself to scrutinize one of his main philosophies. . .

"Tell me what you regard as your greatest strength, so I will know how best to undermine you; tell me of your greatest fear, so I will know which I must force you to face; tell me what you cherish most, so I will know what to take from you; and tell me what you crave, so that I might deny you."

I was really thinking about this tenet of his and I believe (this is just my opinion), this teaching is crucial to controlling people and bending them (through their will) to your own will. Nobody likes to feel insecure (at least nobody I know) so everybody has their pillar; their anchor that they can fall back upon when they are pressed on every side. Whether it be religion, telling funny jokes, writing poetry, even engaging in Star Wars in some way There is strength and security in these things for some people, and some people even have more than one secure area that they can retreat to if need be. And (correct me if I'm wrong) a lot of people are open about their strengths; if you upset them or they get upset by something they will often say "I'm going to do. . ." such and such thing. That is their strenght. Their comfort. Their security. And knowing that, if you can threaten to remove that (or make them believe it can be removed) then you will have them at your mercy. With no secure places left, their life will lose the flavor and joy it once had. Now whether or not you openly threaten that strength so that they know it is you or not is a matter of subtlety. If you can manage it without them identifying you as the true enemy (even if in some wierd way you were doing this for their good) then you have mastered the concept.

Likewise; if you know their strength you will most likely know the greatest fear that they feel they must have strength against. As the manipulator in this exchange, knowing exactly what they are afraid of, and what to make them own up to is invaluable information. If you need them to complete a particular task they are not yet strong enough to complete, or you are unleashing their full potential to be bent to your own ends; knowing their greatest fear connects you to their soul. Because then you get into the whole psychology of why they fear whatever it is they fear, and armed with that knowledge you can break them again and again, as it fits your plans for them, no matter how many times they conquer a fear because you know the heart of their thoughts and what binds them to fear itself.

Another window into their soul is what they love, what they care about, what they cherish. Something cherished represents attatchment of your heart, mind, and soul to this beloved thing, whatever or whoever it is. So aside from already knowing their strength, and knowing what strikes terror into their innermost being, you now know what they love. You know what they have connected themselves too and (more often than not) this cherished person or thing ties into their fears, which grants you a sort of double powered control over them and what you want them to do. Subtlely or blatantly threaten that love, and they will fear for their strength. Make it clear that their strength is not as secure as they think, and they will either self destruct (which you could manage to curb to your own ends) or look for a true strength, which (ideally) would be found in you, thereby connecting them to you, but not you to them. Remaining aloof is also a necessity.

And finally - although just as important as the preceding points - once you have thoroughly dominated them, they will want your strength. Even though they know you are not flawless, you masquerade serenity, strength, and confidence in your own abilities, and they crave that for themselves. After you have so craftily removed the connections between them and all they formerly regarded as sanctified - set apart from the clutches of the world - they will want what you have. Moreover, they will see how you interact with people, and get along with them (and it is up to your level of subtlety to be sure they never recognize the manipulations until its too late - if ever at all) and for some strange reason people seem drawn to you. Even if they don't like you, they are compelled to cooperate with you because there is really no point in fighting. The person (or people depending on your skill) will covet everything you embody, and might see your. . . ah. . . strategic removal as the only step to getting what you have

Therefore, you must create new strengths for them. Implant fears of your own liking. Make yourself (or someone or something else you have dominion over) cherished by them. In this way you set up situations for them that you can handle completely, and even if something does not go according to plan, the whole situation came from your will anyway and you can handle it. It's like making up a test, and already knowing the answers, and then giving the test to those you have manipulated. They will covet the answers you possess and, by slipping them a few at a time as well as dropping hints they can discern for upcoming problems, you keep them in your fist. Do not let your pride be your undoing however. You must grant them strategic answers and hints; such that they think on their own and are effective for your purposes, but they know that they are no match for you. They know (and it must be deeply ingrained) that they are not your equal, and never will be, BUT the answers and hints you give them provide a sense of accomplishment, and they like to think that they are getting more skilled, even if they are not on your level. Palpatine's manipulation of Anakin is an excellent example of this very thing.

With that said (and what a mouthful - took me two days to finish) keep in mind that the entire process often takes a lot of time too fully incorporate into someone's life, as well as into your own pattern of thinking. You must change your entire outlook on life, and the people that are in it. You must intentionally train your intellect to instinctively (yet consciously) follow the aforementioned philosophy for however long it takes.
Patience is a virtue; even for a Sith.

"You must begin by gaining power over yourself; then another; then a group, an order, a world, a species, a group of species... finally, the Galaxy itself." -Darth Plagueis