Anna Sorokin has recently become very popular with the Netflix drama “Inventing Ana”. The series shows the heroine – Anna Delvey played by Julia Garner and her fate of becoming a New York elite. How is it possible that a 25-year-old has deceived so many people’s influence and extorted such sums? Below are the answers to your questions.
Getting yourself higher in the hierarchy
Many times, Ana repeats: “do you know who I am”? She demands special treatment from people and expects everyone to “know their place”. She expects a specific behavioral pattern from people she deals with and shuns them if they don’t live up to her expectations.
Associating with important people – social proof
Having “important” friends in many environments is a ticket to the world of the elite. Glitter and popularity have attracted fans of this lifestyle for centuries. Ana had an effect known in psychology: social proof. A good example of this is the scenes in which the owner of the gallery refuses to participate in her business because he does not know her nor trust her. Later, in the same office, he sais: “I didn’t know you knew xyz … Of course, I will invest”. Connections are, in a way, a guarantee of success because they are a sort of preapproval by others, which allows us to trust the person more easily.
The saying “show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are” is very true and works on our subconscious. In many industries, the only way to get a job is through the referral system. What is the conclusion for us? It is worth considering who we want to be friends with.
Presenting herself as a busy person and other people’s affairs are low priority
Anna also builds the image of a constantly busy person, which is why she uses the principle of inaccessibility, which is also often used in dating. We want what is unique, rare, and unavailable. Moving around in the company of Anna could give people a sense of uniqueness since such a busy and important person had found time, especially for them!
Playing the victim
In confrontational situations, she plays on emotions. For example, in a scene, where her friend refuses to stay overnight, Anna pulls out the big guns and hints that she might commit suicide if left alone. She also uses the phrases: “you are my last resort”; “I thought you were my friend”; “it was all because of my father”; “the bank screwed up an international transfer”, etc. Such phrases for a sensitive and empathetic person can evoke guilt and sympathy that leads to doing what Anna wants.
Breaking promises
The critical situation in which Katie is facing dismissal and imprisonment for financial fraud shows how Anna has been disposing of her for almost three months, every once in a while, giving her a tiny hope that her bank transfer is imminent, but it never comes. At the same time, she is leading her friend on, who is constantly smoldering with the hope to receive her money.
Turning the tables
In the scene where Ana is being confronted by her friends for not returning Katie’s $60k, Anna insists that she will return it soon. When Anna’s friends reveal that they know the real facts, she turns the table and starts attacking them. She doesn’t feel that she is guilty and blames the bank for incompetence and then accuses the girls of pettiness.
What does Anna Sorokin’s body language say?
In the interview she gave after her release from prison, when answering difficult questions, she maintains a blank expression and does not display any regret and does not care what others think of her. You can see a lot of self-confidence in her body language. Anna’s voice is very light and girlish, which is in contradiction with the facial expression, which in many moments shows contempt. Her laughs don’t seem genuine as the corners of her mouth or eyes don’t lift.
Was it worth it?
As the sources show, Anna’s goal was to do something spectacular and become famous. At the time of writing this article, Anna already has almost a million followers and she intends to publish the book and sell her story to other media for screening or publication. Did she achieve what she intended? Partly for sure.
