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What are the characteristics of an alpha male? How does an alpha male behave?
These questions came up in another thread, and I thought they were interesting enough to warrant a separate discussion.
I would love to hear women's ideas about what the term "alpha male" means to them, and whether they find alpha males more attractive than other men.
Before I offer my own opinions, though, I'll begin the thread by providing some info on the linguistic background of the term.
ORIGINS OF THE TERM "ALPHA MALE":
The expression "Alpha Male" comes from the behavioural sciences. It came into common usage from the study of wolves, and then primates -- the head honcho of a pack of wolves or apes is dubbed the "Alpha Male." It can also apply to other community-dwelling animals.
This simple designation is also used in star classification in astronomy - the brightest star in a constellation is alpha, then they go down the Greek alphabet, beta, gamma, delta etc.
Within each pack of wolves, for example, is an elaborate hierarchy. It usually consists of:
These questions came up in another thread, and I thought they were interesting enough to warrant a separate discussion.
I would love to hear women's ideas about what the term "alpha male" means to them, and whether they find alpha males more attractive than other men.
Before I offer my own opinions, though, I'll begin the thread by providing some info on the linguistic background of the term.
ORIGINS OF THE TERM "ALPHA MALE":
The expression "Alpha Male" comes from the behavioural sciences. It came into common usage from the study of wolves, and then primates -- the head honcho of a pack of wolves or apes is dubbed the "Alpha Male." It can also apply to other community-dwelling animals.
This simple designation is also used in star classification in astronomy - the brightest star in a constellation is alpha, then they go down the Greek alphabet, beta, gamma, delta etc.
Within each pack of wolves, for example, is an elaborate hierarchy. It usually consists of:
- A single breeding pair, the Alpha male and female, which are the leaders of the pack
- A lower group consisting of non-breeding adults, each with its own ranking
- A group of immature wolves on their way up
- A group of outcasts