The Myth of the Alpha Male

// posted August 25, 2009 by Lou Schuler

The term “alpha male” is one of those designations we hang on people without much thought of its origins or its true implications.

It’s kind of like describing someone as a “Type A personality” or saying a particular behavior is “passive-aggressive.” What we really mean, in the case of the guy labeled Type A, is that he works hard and gets a lot done. If we say someone’s passive-aggressive, as often as not we’re slapping a pathology on someone who just doesn’t care enough to give us whatever we need at the moment we need it.

But calling someone an alpha male is both more specific and, in most cases, more respectful. It implies that the guy has fought his way to the top of whatever group he leads. Moreover, it suggests he could fight his way to the top of any organization he chooses, and breed with the most selective female(s) along the way.

There’s also an aspirational aspect. Life offers us few opportunities outside the Crips and Bloods in which we literally need to fight our way to positions of leadership. So we know we have to get ahead through some combination of hard work, innate affinity for the product or service the organization provides, strategic alliances, and/or egregious sucking up to the boss. Thus, the reality of our careers isn’t nearly as exciting as the description of the good life offered by Conan the Barbarian, the most alpha of all alpha males:

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

That’s why it’s interesting to learn that the original concept of the alpha male — the leader of a pack of wolves — is now considered a fallacy. If you click on that link, you can see a short video interview with L. David Mech, a biologist whose book on wolves, published in 1970, led to the widespread use of the term in the first place.

Here’s what he says now:

“Alpha” implies competing with others and becoming top dog by winning a contest or battle. However, most wolves who lead packs achieved their position simply by mating and producing pups, which then became their pack. In other words they are merely breeders, or parents, and that’s all we call them today.

I don’t know if it’s a disappointment or a relief to know that any wolf — or, by metaphorical extension, any human — can become an alpha male merely by starting and raising a family. That makes me an alpha, which is a pretty good sign of the diminished implications of the term.

At least we still have “lone wolf” to describe the guy who hasn’t found a mate (although he may have found something else). 


View Comments (7)

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  • http://www.simplestrength.com Rannoch

    Hombre,

    Long time no speak! How the devil are you>

    I have always liked the idea of your family as “the pack”. It makes sense that this is how a pack would evolve. In the wild few animals willingly put themselves in a position of danger. All the fightring that goes on between stags for example is show. This is where we lose the plot. In our efforts to be top dog we get carried away. We confuse the competition for conflict and that’s where it all goes wrong. Who’d not rather be a lover (and a parent) than a fighter?

    All the best

    Rannoch

  • http://www.louschuler.com Lou Schuler

    Rannoch! Good to hear from you!

    I’m fine with the “loving”/”not fighting” paradigm. You get a lot more accomplished, and don’t have nearly as many dental bills to worry about.

  • http://www.panfu.de Rita Lernspiele

    I found this article really interesting. It made me reflect on our society and unfortunately I think that most “men” are nowadays rather “alpha females” than “alpha males”…

  • RobLL

    when it comes to humans it is probably more useful to look at primate dominance patterns rather than wolf ones. Of course the utterly fascinating thing is that wolf patterns have adapted to primate ones in interesting ways.

    And it still remains true that dogs to attempt to dominate humans in some cases, and the more powerful the dog the more important for the human to dominate.

  • http://www.flirtfair.it/scopare Tommaso Scopare

    It’s a commonly known fact that women are more attracted to alpha males than any other type of male. But personally, speaking as a woman, I just want to say: Be yourself!

  • http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2371082/human_alpha_male_myth_or_fact.html jlawac

    I am glad this was corrected, the whole ‘alpha male’ thing has gotten completely out of control in western society. I very much believe we are confusing capitalist culture with nature.

  • Matt

    Personally? In the event of a family you might be the only male, Alpha Male, at least the term has come to have a much broader and far reaching meaning. Some people due to genetics are physically and/or mentally superior and are leaders in their fields. It’s as much a social designator as a pack designator, though often I agree the term gets misused.
    Some people have a more natural level of aggression than others and a stronger competitive drive, it would be nice to believe that everyone could be an alpha however it totally destroys the natural pecking order. Created equal we are not.
    As for the paradigm of peace? Peace is nice to a limited extent, until someone comes along who quite honestly doesn’t care for peace or paradigms. I think of such a mindset as the psychological neutering of the species rather than an evolved state of being or an enlightened mindset. Whatever the reason we are not all equal, not everyone is peaceful or wants peace.
    Also the concept of the Alpha male per say is far older than western Capitalism Jlawac, look at the celts who would fight to the death for the finest cut of meat, old warrior society where the strongest man often ruled. Caeser? An Alpha Male. Ghengis Kahn? Alpha. Mithradites? Yes another Alpha.
    These archtypes exist in mythology: Beowuld and Siegfried anyone? Hercules and Achilles? The tale of Gilgamehs besting Enkidu and the other becoming his loyal follower? All of these are tales of alpha males. Was it the definition at the time? Was it the term used? No.
    The beauty of the English language is that words and phrases are adaptive, much the same as Alpha Male, it was adapted to describe a particualr cult of manhood, the existence of which is hard to deny looking at historical, anthropological, and sociological record. Why do other men admire the fighters in the UFC? Why do people look in awe upon Marines, Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, and the British SAS?
    To end what has become a bit of a lecture for which I dearly apologize, I would like to send off with the words of Samuel Clemmens, better known as Mark Twain-Man is the animal that blushes.

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