Yes, a lot of women flirt because they are trying to validate
themselves. They're insecure about their overall attractiveness,
so they go out and try to get as much attention from guys as
they can to make up for it.
An extreme version of this kind of woman is what psychiatrists
call "Histrionic Personality Disorder". These are women who
dress and act very provocatively and take it to ridiculous lengths.
At the core of this imbalance is usually a 2nd Chakra issue,
where the woman depends on external-validation because she doesn't
know how to give it to herself.
Her core belief is that she is "not enough" (or inadequate),
so she goes out night after night to try to prove to herself
that she is... loveable.
Of course, another word for this is "cock tease".
So how do you deal with a "cock tease"?
You call them on it, as in, "Are you trying to use your
sexuality to manipulate me? It's not working..."
I said those exact words to a woman once and she got pretty
defensive. But defensiveness just means I'm right.
The next day, I talked to our mutual friend, and she asked me
what I did to her friend to make her so attracted to me!
I said, "She's attracted to any guy that she cannot manipulate,
just like all women."
I'm so glad that I know this stuff...
Anyway, you asked me how to tell if a woman is sincerely flirting
because she's legitimately attracted to you.
If you are unsure if her flirtation is real or not, JUST ASK
HER.
"Are you flirting with me?"
And notice how she responds.
A sincere girl will usually BLUSH when you ask her this, whereas
a manipulator will probably get defensive.
If you're still not sure after that, try ESCALATING.