Alpha males
Elizabeth
actually refer to, in human beings? What alpha males behaviour in
humans actually sets them apart?
I've seen the activities of alpha males in other species, including
macaque monkeys where aggression, power, and an urge to hold the band
of other monkeys together seems to be the thing.
Erik, in a couple of posts, has described himself as an alpha male
because he has responded to an attractive woman by passing her a note.
Why is this being an alpha male? I just don't get it. Can anyone
explains this mystery to me. Is it just being proactive? Is that it?
Anyone?
Remus Shepherd
> Anyone?
I'm going to answer this from an odd perspective. I got my first tattoo
this past year, of a symbol that integrates a wolf's face and the letter
Omega. I'm an omega wolf, and in some respects an omega male.
There are two roots of the human 'alpha male'. One is the personality
type theory from the 1950s. Type A personalities are high-strung and
controlling, while Type B personalities are laid-back and at peace. The
'alpha male' is a exaggeration of the Type A personality, and are described
as ambitious, competitive, and aggressive.
The other root of the 'alpha male' comes from comparison to animal
societies. The most competitive and strongest male leads the pack in wolves,
many herd animals, and some primates. The alpha male is usually considered
a leader, and he has the self-confidence, courage, and quick-thinking
generally associated with leadership.
If Erik passed a note to a woman he never met, he's showing those
characteristics. It might not make him an alpha male but it's something an
alpha would do. An alpha is comfortable with his looks and secure about
his sexuality, knows what he wants and does not hesitate to try and get it,
and he can be brutally competitive if someone else stands in the way of his
goal. For some women these characteristics themselves are a turn-on. It's
nice to have a man who takes charge and knows what he wants. (Only later
do they realize that some of the other parts of the alpha personality are
less appealing.)
Me, I just hate the idea of competition. It's one of the stupidest
concepts ever and a complete waste of effort. I prefer cooperation, and
status assigned by merit. But I know that I'm out of touch with the human
race. :)
... ...
Remus Shepherd <re...@panix.com>
New Webcomic: Genocide Man http://www.genocideman.com/
Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass slaughter can be hilarious.
Elizabeth
> Elizabeth <eratedr...@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
> > Still it hasn't been answered. What does this term "alpha male"
> > actually refer to, in human beings? What alpha males behaviour in
> > humans actually sets them apart?
> > I've seen the activities of alpha males in other species, including
> > macaque monkeys where aggression, power, and an urge to hold the band
> > of other monkeys together seems to be the thing.
> > Erik, in a couple of posts, has described himself as an alpha male
> > because he has responded to an attractive woman by passing her a note.
> > Why is this being an alpha male? I just don't get it. Can anyone
> > explains this mystery to me. Is it just being proactive? Is that it?
> > Anyone?
>
> I'm going to answer this from an odd perspective. I got my first tattoo
> this past year, of a symbol that integrates a wolf's face and the letter
> Omega. I'm an omega wolf, and in some respects an omega male.
>
> There are two roots of the human 'alpha male'. One is the personality
> type theory from the 1950s. Type A personalities are high-strung and
> controlling, while Type B personalities are laid-back and at peace. The
> 'alpha male' is a exaggeration of the Type A personality, and are described
> as ambitious, competitive, and aggressive.
Yeah, I know about these personality theories, but they also apply to
women. I have tended to have a Type A personality, though I am
learning to be more laid back, by practicing meditation.
>
> The other root of the 'alpha male' comes from comparison to animal
> societies. The most competitive and strongest male leads the pack in wolves,
> many herd animals, and some primates. The alpha male is usually considered
> a leader, and he has the self-confidence, courage, and quick-thinking
> generally associated with leadership.
Interesting that. I watched a pack of macaque monkeys when in Thailand
last and the most innovative monkey was not the noisy, aggressive
alpha male (with the big teeth) but another monkey that had taken my
water bottle, opened the lid and poured the contents into a rocky
crevice and shared the water with her companions. She showed
intelligence. The so-called alpha male was just leaping around making
a lot of noise.
Flocks of seagulls are similar. The so-called alpha male is
screeching, while all the other birds get to eat. Peculiar behaviour,
really.
>
> If Erik passed a note to a woman he never met, he's showing those
> characteristics. It might not make him an alpha male but it's something an
> alpha would do.
You see that's just it, for me. Giving a note to someone is not
upfront; it's what you do when you are not brave enough to say someone
directly to another person.
>An alpha is comfortable with his looks and secure about
> his sexuality, knows what he wants and does not hesitate to try and get it,
> and he can be brutally competitive if someone else stands in the way of his
> goal.
I get the feeling from Erik's posts that he is quite unsure about his
status. Maybe not about his sexuality.
>For some women these characteristics themselves are a turn-on. It's
> nice to have a man who takes charge and knows what he wants. (Only later
> do they realize that some of the other parts of the alpha personality are
> less appealing.)
And this is where I am different. I am not turned on by men who try to
"claim" me.
>
> Me, I just hate the idea of competition. It's one of the stupidest
> concepts ever and a complete waste of effort. I prefer cooperation, and
> status assigned by merit. But I know that I'm out of touch with the human
> race. :)
I agree.
Dave
<783d6c37-5949-4c4a...@o14g2000prn.googlegroups.com>
Elizabeth <erate...@yahoo.com.au> was claimed to have wrote:
>>
>> If Erik passed a note to a woman he never met, he's showing those
>> characteristics. It might not make him an alpha male but it's something an
>> alpha would do.
>
>You see that's just it, for me. Giving a note to someone is not
>upfront; it's what you do when you are not brave enough to say someone
>directly to another person.
This is pretty much my thinking on the matter. An "alpha" wouldn't slip
a note, an alpha would say something to her face and (if he honestly
wasn't interested in anything beyond that) would walk away.
Passing notes isn't alpha behaviour.
suzeeq
I agree. An 'alpha' male would be more direct, passing a note shows
insecurity to some extent.
Remus Shepherd
> >> characteristics. ?It might not make him an alpha male but it's something an
> >> alpha would do. ?
> >
> >You see that's just it, for me. Giving a note to someone is not
> >upfront; it's what you do when you are not brave enough to say someone
> >directly to another person.
> This is pretty much my thinking on the matter. An "alpha" wouldn't slip
> a note, an alpha would say something to her face and (if he honestly
> wasn't interested in anything beyond that) would walk away.
> Passing notes isn't alpha behaviour.
Well, I didn't see the original post so I don't know the situation.
Maybe passing a note was more polite, or there wasn't time for a chat.
But an omega wouldn't have made contact at all.
suzeeq
> Dave <calga...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Elizabeth <erate...@yahoo.com.au> was claimed to have wrote:
>>>> ? ?If Erik passed a note to a woman he never met, he's showing those
>>>> characteristics. ?It might not make him an alpha male but it's something an
>>>> alpha would do. ?
>>> You see that's just it, for me. Giving a note to someone is not
>>> upfront; it's what you do when you are not brave enough to say someone
>>> directly to another person.
>
>> This is pretty much my thinking on the matter. An "alpha" wouldn't slip
>> a note, an alpha would say something to her face and (if he honestly
>> wasn't interested in anything beyond that) would walk away.
>
>> Passing notes isn't alpha behaviour.
>
> Well, I didn't see the original post so I don't know the situation.
> Maybe passing a note was more polite, or there wasn't time for a chat.
> But an omega wouldn't have made contact at all.
Wouldn't the 'omega' male be on the complete other end of the spectrum
of behavior? There's probably a few steps in between...
Dave
<re...@panix.com> was claimed to have wrote:
>Dave <calga...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Elizabeth <erate...@yahoo.com.au> was claimed to have wrote:
>> >> ? ?If Erik passed a note to a woman he never met, he's showing those
>> >> characteristics. ?It might not make him an alpha male but it's something an
>> >> alpha would do. ?
>> >
>> >You see that's just it, for me. Giving a note to someone is not
>> >upfront; it's what you do when you are not brave enough to say someone
>> >directly to another person.
>
>> This is pretty much my thinking on the matter. An "alpha" wouldn't slip
>> a note, an alpha would say something to her face and (if he honestly
>> wasn't interested in anything beyond that) would walk away.
>
>> Passing notes isn't alpha behaviour.
>
> Well, I didn't see the original post so I don't know the situation.
IIRC it was a compliment in a public space (train station or
something?), so there wouldn't be any social stigma with regards to
making contact.
>Maybe passing a note was more polite, or there wasn't time for a chat.
It takes longer to write and pass a note than to make a polite off-hand
comment.
Dave
<su...@imbris.com> was claimed to have wrote:
>Wouldn't the 'omega' male be on the complete other end of the spectrum
>of behavior? There's probably a few steps in between...
Yes. Passing a note is one step up from an "omega"
Norton
I have another view of all this. Here's how I look at it. Humans
are social animals like dogs, geese, but not cats.
There are some traits shared by all social animals. Most all have
a "leader", frequently male, and usually called the "alpha" male.
Other animal groups, including humans, are more complex. Like
gorillas we have war leaders, peacetime leaders, hunting leaders,
etc., etc., etc. Each of thse functions as an alpha male at
particular times -- at least as I understand it.
Biologically however, it seem to me that the "alpha" male is the
one that has maximum reproductive success. This is often attained
by chasing off the "lesser" males and is frequently added to by
temporarily usurping the partners of the "lesser" males.
This sort of activity seems to suit the males in that it ensures
maximum spread of his genes.
However, the females often have a different strategy. They would
prefer the alpha male as a mate, but if that isn't happening, then
the next male in line is likely ok. Worse, just as the alpha
male seeks to impregnate as many females as possible, the females
seek to gain as many protectors -- males who think that she is
carrying their offspring -- as possible.
Some of the great apes show this sort of behavior. In humans
I think this sort of behavior is there, but buried to a degree
under all sorts of social customs designed to keep the peace.
Hence the biblical injunction against coveting your neighbor's
wife (note the assumption that she has little or no say in this.)
But no matter how one looks at it, it seems that "alpha" male
behavior is connected to sexuality, usually overt sexuality.
--
--- Norton the Long Winded
Eric Troy
> Erik, in a couple of posts, has described himself as an alpha male
> because he has responded to an attractive woman by passing her a note.
> Why is this being an alpha male? I just don't get it. Can anyone
> explains this mystery to me. Is it just being proactive? Is that it?
What?? I've got to re-read that post of mine because I'm pretty sure
it's quite the contrary.
Eric did not describe himself as an alpha male. Eric is fully aware
that the guy who's
successful with women in society does not go about passing notes. That
guy talks.
Eric does not particularly care about being successful with women.
Some women he already knows, maybe. Things to get off his chest
despite the years, yeah.
Call him stuck-up, yeah.
Eric passed a note because he was fine with passing a note; it was an
exciting enough
innocuous idea to go through with. Till now, he's yet to see why he
shouldn't have.
Eric is not an alpha male; Eric would not be Eric if he wasn't afraid
of running out of talking points.
Eric sees coming across an attractive lady as more often than not
mutually exclusive from the glow of awareness in her eyes of his very
existence (ok, I'm being overly dramatic here)
Eric was wondering about whether passing that note, giving away
a 'compliment' through a medium that guaranteed 0% chance of any ROI,
i.e for free, was a
good idea.
I used the term "alpha male" loosely to mean "the guy who knows
something about women".