The Mythical 'Alpha Male'

Image Courtesy: Jonny Smeds via Wikimedia Commons

‘Alpha’, used to describe aggressive and domineering individuals, derives from the idea that, much like chimpanzees and wolves, social order can be subordinated into ‘alphas’ and ‘betas’. In colloquial terms, ‘alpha’ is often used to refer to men. Amongst those who subscribe to this ideology, ‘alpha’ exists as something to be attained, while ‘beta’ is considered a lower-rank. They further use the animal model to dilute female desire, suggesting that women are largely attracted to these ‘alpha’ males (as a side note, we must emphasise: women are not chimpanzees).

The very fabric of this ideology lies within the idea that, on a fundamental level, a man’s innate masculinity can be comparable to that of a wild animal. An ‘alpha’ is a leader, while a ‘beta’ is a follower. However, these terminologies are entirely dated and decades old. They were initially used by biologists to explore wolf packs in captivation. Wild packs do not create hierarchies in the same way and are, instead, more reminiscent of a happy family. There is nothing ‘wild’ about the term ‘alpha wolf’.

‘Alpha’ is therefore a shaky metaphor, with shaky foundations, and a shaky meaning. Self-identifying as ‘alpha’ should not be confused as an attempt to become better connected with animals or nature as there is no scientific backing to the claim. It can instead be perceived as a dangerous ideology since it uses fictionalized animal hierarchies as an excuse to behave primally, at the expense of other men and women (regardless of whether they subscribe to the same ideology or not).

The dynamics of animal packs can be varied, with even some cases seeing dominant female leaders. The idea of constraining a more evolved species to such a two-dimensional ideology creates tensions which need not exist. 

The theory of biological determinism is also forcefully passed from the animal model on to the human model as some suggest that being ‘alpha’ is an innate quality, rather than something one can develop into. By aligning this pseudoscientific concept with hereditary factors, environmental factors are entirely disregarded. The ‘alpha’ then may fail to take responsibility for his actions as he does not perceive them to be influenced, but rather an entitled way of behaving.

The ‘alpha’ is dangerous, not because he is a threat to other men, but because of his self-perceived status. His identity is fabricated by his own perceptions of masculinity, therefore allowing him to continue making rules rather than abiding by socially accepted ones. 

Women are often trivialised by the ‘alpha’ male as objects of pursuit. He believes that he is the ultimate female fantasy for her. A study led by Jerry Burger and Mica Cosby, looking to answer whether women actually do prefer dominant men, concluded that ‘In short, a simple dominant-nondominant dimension may be of limited value when predicting mate preferences for women.’ The misconception that women specifically desire dominant men stems, again, from the false notion that animal packs are divided into hierarchies – and that females prefer to mate with ‘alphas’.

The ‘alpha’ is a myth in the animal world. The ‘alpha’ is a myth in the human world. The women who pull apart these hierarchies are often subjected to death threats and threats of violence. The ‘alpha’ is a danger, not because of his ability to beat his opponent, but because he is deluded enough to believe that he exists.