THE MODERN ALPHA MALE
12 Nov
Humans are not a pack of wolves and so our social hierarchy is not quite as distinct as alpha, beta, omega. There are certainly degrees of where men fall on the hierarchy scale and what determines who is in charge. In the past, during the hunter and gatherer days, this may have been determined by physical strength. In our modern world, power is often determined by socioeconomic status. In this sense, it is not enough to be aggressive and physically superior, one must posses a certain level of intelligence/education to persevere. However, men’s status still seems to be very much affected by Testosterone levels. So it seems, the modern alpha male needs to have a combination of these factors to be considered as such.
Inherent Qualities of an ALPHA MALE
Nature
high testosterone levels- linked to competitiveness and dominance in men; the need to influence and control; aggressive tendencies; the ability to dominate social situations
Nurture
Education and Socioeconomic status: this will determine what the outlet will be for the high testosterone. High testosterone males tend to hold dominant social positions in prisons and mental institutions, but culture can make the difference between them leading a gang or an organization.
perseverance coupled with a me first attitude – An alpha male will not shy away from dangerous conflict, but only because he believes he can win. If the win is not possible, the alpha male is first and foremost a survivor. He does not indulge in self sacrifice or martyrdom. The ultimate goal is to dominate, as well as pass on his genes.
Below are fictional alpha males from my favorite shows, past and present. They are characterized by their professional success, social dominance, pragmatic intelligence, and aversion to monogamy.
The protagonist Don Draper (played by John Hamm), in the AMC series MAD MEN set in early 1960′s New York City, is a brilliant ad man who commands respect from men and maintains affairs in spite of his picture perfect family life.
Bill Henrickson (played buy Bill Paxton), in HBO’s BIG LOVE, is a Mormon polygamist who juggles three wifes, seven children, a home improvement store, creepy in-laws, and a gambling business.
Brian Kinney (played by Gale Harold) on Queer as Folk is the epitome of sex appeal for men and women alike on this Showtime series. He is another brilliant ad executive; Brian is confident, promiscuous, and a self made millionaire.
references for articles detailing the links between testosterone and behavior:
The indicators for high status males in American society today are not so much intelligence and education, as they are position, wealth, and notoriety. It’s not the intelligence or degree that one has, it’s the ability to manipulate surroundings, people, and one’s environment to their own advantage, as well as to achieve monetary gain, and of course power in the process. It’s not always the intelligence/education one has, but the ability to aggressively use whatever skills/assets, personality strengths, social skills, emotional intelligence, and having the desire for dominance to do so that equates with what being an alpha male in modern day society is, I presume. Having traits for dominance is almost futile or self-defeating without the intelligent use of manipulation, and the keen ability to control others. Otherwise, silly fools will be put in their place. By of course, the real alpha males.
Christina…yes the status, wealth, and power of the alpha males are the consequence of the high testosterone coupled with intelligence and/or education (more on this in the next post). Those with just the high testosterone, lacking the intelligence and culture, are incapable of inhibiting their aggressive and destructive impulses in order to achieve the positions that our society deems powerful. Those with just the intelligence and/or education may not achieve those positions due to their lack of ability, as you say, to strive for social dominance. That ability to aggressively use the education/skills one has to achieve social dominance is what high testosterone males tend to exhibit (links on bottom). And yes, I also agree with you, that those that prove wanting in either of these skills will be dominated by those who are the more aggressive and the more intelligent/cultured. In other words, I think we are both saying the same thing, but with different descriptors
Oh you ARE online!
Yes we are pretty much saying the same thing. However I was trying to make the distinction that those who have higher testosterone levels and a desire for dominance coupled with intelligence and education are still lacking. I think there is a huge part that social skills play in domination, whether domination is desired or not, and regardless of whether the person is just intelligent and has a certain level of education and a certain culture. The difference between why certain alpha males rule over other alpha males, I believe has more to do with having more life experience, and more experiences to draw from in order to make assessments on how to dominate, control, and get to the top. What I’m trying to say is the ones that have “played” in life more, know how to play the game of life better. I think that’s a very important link in what determines status overall. Just having the desire for dominance, and intelligence is not enough.
Perhaps you are right…although the distinction here is between who is the BIGGER alpha male…and that is true..the ones with the added skills will prevail when in competition with those of less experience. However, like I said in the beginning, the human hierarchy allows for degrees of dominance. So whereas in the wolf pack there may only be one, we can have many different sorts of alphas with various degrees of dominance. So a person can still be on top in their respective niche with just the intelligence and testosterone, don’t you think? Of course, there is still much we don’t know about this subject. I think it is still fair to say, regardless of how they compare to their peers, if we are to meet a man who is bright and ambitious/aggressive (and successful in his pursuits) we will likely define him as an alpha.