AbstractPolysoaps are linear hydrophilic chains that incorporate, at intervals, covalently bound amphiphilic monomers. In water, the amphiphilic monomers self assemble into intrachain micelles thus endowing the chain with a secondary structure. The relaxation of the secondary structure upon deformation qualitatively modifies the elastic behaviour of polysoaps in accordance with the LeChatelier principle. For long polysoaps a regime in which the tension in the chain,f, is independent of the end to end distanceR, f ˜ R°is predicted. The extension of long polysoaps is analysed for the particularly simple case when the backbone obeys Gaussian statistics and excluded volume interactions are neglecte