The birth of a myth
The term “Alpha male“It was born in 1947 in the ethological field from the observations of the behavior of groups of wolves in captivity (Schenc, 1947). In particular, it referred to the male who in these groups held the highest position in the social hierarchy.
The term “male alpha” was then popular with Frans de Waal, a famous biologist and primacy, who used it in his first writings regarding the social behavior of the chimpanzees (De Wall, 1982).
He referred to the individual, not to the male, Alpha as that individual of the group that had greater access to resources among the chimpanzees and came respected as a leader of the group.
The “true” man
Already during the 80s and 90s, the term “male alpha” began to be associated with characteristics such as physical strength, power and aggression. The image returned by the media is that of a feared and respected man who uses intimidation and shrewdness to acquire favors, resources and success.
The reality figure, however, highlights a very different picture.
Firstly, as De Waal himself specified in a recent interview, the “Alpha male” is the highest male individual in the group’s social hierarchy. This has little to do with the degree of individual aggression.
It is a mistake to consider exclusively the physical power In determining if an individual is an alpha individual. In various animal species, the Alpha individual is not necessarily male, often this role is covered with female individuals.
In addition, it is necessary to underline that on the physical plane, in the human species, the differences between males and females are of modest entity if compared to the sexual dwelling of other species (Larsen, 2003).
Therefore, The physical aspects are not a discriminating factor in determining the position in the social hierarchy.
Democracy
Once the myth of the force is dispelled as a key element to be “alpha”, there is an additional aspect to consider. An individual may strongly want to be “alpha”, but this position is neither hereditary nor due by law.
It is the group that identifies, determines and recognizes the leader’s position to a person.
The more the individual has prosocial skills and empathy skills the more it will be recognized as a point of reference for the group (Haley et al., 2008).
Compassion as a leadership factor
In nature, even where they exist, “Alpha males” usually do not base their work on intimidation or coercion, on the contrary show highly prosocial behaviors.
Protect the weak of the group, interrupt the quarrels and conflicts, have high levels of empathy and care of others.
Compassion and cooperation seem to be key elements to obtain a social status higher as much as, if not more, than the use of aggression and the intimidation.
Dominance and prestige
In fact, in our species, the achievement of the high social status and the advantages that derive from it can be obtained through two great ways: domination and prestige (Henrich & Gil-White, 2001).
The domain on the other is exercised through intimidation, threats and coercion. It is characterized by aspects of arrogance, presumption, antisocial behaviors and unstable relationships.
On the contrary, prestigious individuals have lower levels of aggression and higher levels of genuine self -esteem, social acceptance, pleasantness and mediation skills.
The way of prestige is characterized by the mediation and cooperation capacity.
Dominance allows to obtain status, but forces you to have to defend its position from opponents. This keeps threat levels, alarm and anxiety high. The prestige, on the other hand, promotes social relations and guarantees a stable and lasting status within the group.
Another myth to dispel: the “male alpha” is more attractive
Already during the second half of the 90s, literature began to question themselves if the domain and aggression were truly attraction elements.
Jensen-Campbell and Colleghi (1995) highlighted how dominant aspects did not No influence on the level of attractiveness of a man if not when united at high levels of pleasant character.
A few years later, in a study conducted by Burger and Cosby (1999), it emerged how the dominance-submission dimension was extremely limited in grasping the factors that made a man’s eyes attractive.
The results showed that the adjectives most associated with the attraction were safe, assertive, quiet and sensitive. No woman indicated a demanding and aggressive man as attractive.
Recently, Snyder and colleagues (2008) underlined how dominance in the strict sense would be attractive only in the context of conflicts between males (athletic competitions). While in other contexts, as in friendly or romantic relationships, it is not desirable.
The research indicates how the most desirable man is not the “Alfa” man.
The ideal man, with all the limits that a similar label entails, is a assertive man, self -confident, casual and sensitive. It has low levels of aggression, it is not demanding or dominant.
Work on oneself
In conclusion, the “Maschio Alpha” label is a myth that is not supported by any serious scientific work (it has been denied even in the study of wolves) and, therefore, should fall into disuse.
Compassion, empathy, assertiveness and acquisition of skills are the ingredients that make the person more attractive. Ultimately, they are the same qualities that favor psychological well -being and a full life and meaning.
Bibliography
- Burger, JM, & Cosby, M. (1999). Do Women Fulfi Dominant Men? The case of the missing control condition. Journal of Research in Personality, 33(3), 358–368. https://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.1999.2252
- Hawley, Ph, Little, TD, & Card, Na (2008). The Myth of the Alpha Male: A New Look at Dominance-Related Beliefs and Behavors Amag Adolescent Malas and Females. International Journal of Behavoral Development, 32(1), 76–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025407084054
- Jensen-Campbell, La, Graziano, Wg, & West, SG (1995). Dominance, Prossocial Orientation, and female preferences: do Nice Guys Really Finish Last? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(3), 427–440. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.68.3.427
- Larsen, CS (2003). Equality for the Sexes in Human Evolution? Early Hominid Sexual Dimorphism and Implications for Matting Systems and Social Behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(16), 9103–9104. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1633678100
- Schenkel, R. (1947). Expression Studies on Wolves: Captivity Observations.
- Snyder, Jk, Kirkpatrick, La, & Barrett, HC (2008). The Dominance Dilemma: Do Women Really Fully Ferer Dominant Mates? Personal Relationships, 15(4), 425–444. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2008.00208.x
