THE ALPHA MALE: A PERSISTENT MYTH
—Aspira
The concept of alpha males and females has been around for a long time, and you might wonder whether it holds water in social interactions.
To give you a short answer, it does not hold any water regarding truth value. Generally, an "alpha" male or female is a dominant, assertive, confident, demanding, and violent person desired by their counterparts. These people are said to be "born to be leaders." They are typically more attractive than "beta" males and females, people who are submissive, easygoing, shy, mild, and peaceful.
These notions or types of people have propagated in both formal and informal settings, most notably on the Internet, where the terms, as mentioned earlier, are prevalent in social media platforms. People have been classifying others or themselves as being part of the "alphas," making fun of those they think are "betas."
Consequently, it has been a breeding ground for cyberbullying and other hate offenses. However, science has shown us that the whole thing has been an enormous misunderstanding. The original alpha male/female idea came from David Mech, a research scientist. He postulated that a dictator and dominant wolf leads a wolf pack. But, as it turns out, the wolf leading the pack was the family's father. Most of the time, a wolf pack is a family or families guided by its parents. Under normal circumstances and resources, aggressive hierarchies for dominant positions are rare in wolves.
Furthermore, a study by Jerry Burger and Mica Cosby on 118 undergraduate women concluded that "dominance" comes in many forms and is attractive depending on the person. The research concluded that what these women found attractive was a mix of dominance (which is flexible) and pro-social behaviors. The study debunks the rigidity of the "alpha" male/female concept as it shows the flexibility of how people prefer their desirable mate. Being who you are is what makes you attractive to people.
Hey guys, Aspira here! If you liked this one, feel free to comment with suggestions for my next article!
I will appreciate it kindly.
References:
{1] The Myth of the Alpha Male. (n.d.). Greater Good. surl.li/gzblv
[2] Vestal, L. (2021). The 'Alpha Male' Myth. The Good Men Project. http://surl.li/gzbmf
[3] Pappas, S. (2023, February 28). Is the Alpha Wolf Idea a Myth? Scientific American.