Alpha Males

Three archetypes of alpha males:

1. Social Alpha - These are the ones who rely on charisma and charm to establish their position. They live for groups and enjoy the social dynamics that comes from interacting with others. They are often eloquent, well dressed, and have an intuitive grasp of what it takes to talk to people. This is the archetype most commonly portrayed in popular media as an alpha male. Many of the "rugged leading man" Hollywood actors fall into this category along with a lot of politicians.

2. Intellectual Alpha - These are the one who distinguish themselves with their brains. They prove themselves with their ideas and analytical skill. They fight and debate to discover truth in whatever subject they are in. The halls of academia are filled with these, and they are many of the richest men in the world. Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, and Steve Jobs are all examples of this.

3. Iconoclast Alpha - Similar to the social alpha in that they often command a strong charisma. The difference is while social alphas like large groups and socializing, iconoclast alphas prefer to be lone wolves. They often reject societal standards they find oppressive and play by their own rules, for good or ill. They qualify as alpha because of the willpower they demonstrate in living life their own way. Jackson Pollock and Hunter S. Thompson are two notable examples.

Obviously, someone can be a blend of two or three. These are not all the possible types, either, just three I thought of. As for which one I fall into - I just wrote a note exploring and breaking down different kinds of alpha males. It's kind of obvious.

Each of the three also has a negative counterpart, an archetype of someone who strives to be one of them but fails due to flaws in their personality, most commonly insecurities and fear.

1. The Bully - While a social alpha revels in positive interactions with others and seeks to expand his circle for the goal of meeting new and interesting people, the bully wields his skill with people as a weapon against others. Instead of a web, he sees strata and tried to enforce a rigid hierarchy scheme to create the illusion of dominance.

2. The Fake - Unable to create or innovate on the same scale as other, the fake steals ideas to present them as his own. Others will confuse simple memorization with intelligence and try to earn their title by overwhelming others with facts. The worst are the gatekeepers, who "screen" those who can acquire access to information by some arbitrary measure. This can take the form of loyalty tests, political alliance questions, or discrimination by gender or race. They believe that "intelligence" is preserved by denying its spread and hording their ideas - the opposite of healthy intellectualism.

3. The Hipster - Claims to follow his own drum, claims to be "outside the mainstream." In truth, he is shaped utterly by those around him. His rejection of things is based on their popularity, making him no different from those who slavishly follow such trends. Instead of creating a bubble of will around him and plowing through life on his own, he is caught in the flow like others. He tries to pass off decisions with no conviction as genuine emotions. His behavior masks an absence of ideology or ideals. He isn't an iconoclast bursting with energy to burn his own path - he is an empty shell waving in the breeze and calling it dancing.

One reason "alpha male" has such a negative connotation today is that it's these three negative counterparts people have met or encountered. Each claims to be an alpha, while not being one. It is correct to feel disgust and contempt for the negative counterparts. However, it's important to remember that alpha males are not what the dislike is directed at - it is those who are not.