Disclaimer: My own opinion is confined within the parentheses and the dashes. Anything outside of those is the objective fruit of my research. My opinion is called into play for humoral effect. Enjoy!
Alpha, beta, gamma, and sigma. Ring any bells? Greek letters. Yes! If you’ve ever taken advanced math classes (i.g. Calculus), or physics like I have - sadly - you might’ve encountered these letters in those seemingly unsolvable equations.
However, they’re also used to categorize people. I’ll be addressing some of the striking traits about those classifications and fret not should you find similarities in your personality with more than one category. Humans are complex creatures and therefore these classifications are our way to simplify the overly complex into mildly complex.
Here we go!
Alpha Male
The most referred to type on YouTube. I’ll bet money on it.
“How to be an alpha male”, “10 signs you’re an alpha male”, “bla bla bla steps to become an alpha male”.
Everytime you hear the word alpha followed by male, you bet your behind the word dominance will follow along. And who are the dominant ones in the human force? Leaders (Yeah, I heard that word so many times, I gag on reflex every time I hear it now), same as in a pack of wolves.
If you’ve ever watched Legacies, The vampire diaries, or the originals, you’d understand what I mean by an alpha. He’s the protector of his people, the guy who people look up to, the guy whose word is heard and taken into account. His actions speak louder than words, his leadership skills are polished, and his decision-making process is above the average Joe’s.
Opinions differ about the alpha male personality and the controversy of whether alpha males exist or not is ongoing. With that being said, the alpha male I’m referring to is a person-fabricated social construct.
Beta Male
Nobody wants to be him, it sounds like an insult to be labeled as such, and yet most of the guys fall under this category. They’re the followers. To their advantage, women tend to see them as marriage material as they are considerate, responsible, and reliable. In short, they’re the infamous “Mr. Nice Guy”.
Most of the forums and opinions out there focus on betas behaviors with women. They say Betas are those men who wouldn’t take the lead in a relationship, are needy in nature and yet refuse to ask for anything from their entourage.
Other downsides of being a beta male is their insecurities, their fear of judgment, and lack of self-confidence. They’re social yet their presence is not as strongly felt as the Alpha’s or the Sigma’s.
Gamma Male
According to Athol Kay's blog, the Gamma is the best of both Beta and Alpha worlds. He's the guy that a woman would love to be in a long-term relationship with (Beta) and still quench her sexual thirst(Alpha). This argument is boosted in an article posted on a blog site, Pat Stedman.
However, this personality type is controversial and it's harshly criticized in the manosphere and red pill society (Look both those terms up and keep your judgment to yourself should you delve deep like I did). In the blog site return of kings, Gammas are ranked low on the archetype scale arguing they are sexual losers and door mats. This criticism is reinforced through wikiMANia's intake on the archetype by saying that Gamma males have a love/hate relationship with women and that they turn into door mats once they get in a relationship with a women considered out of their league.
Omega Male
Remember the Gamma POV of being the best of both Alpha and the Beta's worlds? Omega is the opposite.
If anything the manosphere and red pill society agrees on is that Omega males are losers. They're viewed as the gamer/geek type with poor social skills who don't get invited to parties and are not desirable by women (unless by women who share similar characteristics).
One comparison I noticed from a few posts on the internet is that Omegas are portrayed in most Ben Stiller movies, most noticeably and mentioned the movie Greenberg.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Omegas are perceived as introverted, kind, empathetic. They're preached for being good boyfriend material with an artistic spirit a refusal to conform to society's workforce norms.
Sigma Male
Also known as the lone wolf. On the socio-sexual hierarchy, he holds a position next to the Alpha except a Sigma doesn't care about the leadership shebang. He's his own man and he likes doing things his own way. Freedom and independency are a Sigma's brand. He's against conformity and is perceived as brooding and shrouded in mystery since he's kind of an introvert. He doesn't say much so, when he talks, his words are heard.
A trait they're known for is manipulation. They have no moral compass and they would use people to get what they want.
Some would say that Sigmas and Alphas make good friends since they share commonalities in their personalities and that the Sigma doesn't oppose a threat to the Alpha's leadership position. Others disagree arguing that Sigmas are known for antagonizing and ridiculing Alphas.
Confidence and assertiveness fall under their characteristics.
Despite their rejection to compliance with social norms, they win the social game and nobody knows why or how. They don't belong to a specific social circle but they blend in whenever they're placed.
Delta Male
Much like Gammas and Omegas, opinions vary to define Deltas.
There's the side defining them as the average Joe: no flare, no charisma, and not much luck with the ladies. Should one get in a relationship with an attractive woman, he would lose her due to his insecurities and being constantly up in her business.
Another side defines Deltas as "has beens". The easiest example for this definition is any movie portraying a star athlete of a small town who lost his edge and fame as he aged.
Others define this category as an alpha-male follower with his own ambitions but not much for brains or physical prowess. He just tries to make it the way he knows how to and the anyway he can. He's perceived as afraid of women and having a hard time understanding them.
There are still the Lambda and the Zeta males to be talked about but I decided not to as they aren't talked about as much as the ones already mentioned but I'll present them quickly.
Zetas don't like playing by society's rules. On the archetype pyramid, they are outside of it. Lambdas are easily spotted for their lack of interest in the conventional male-female relationships.
As I said before, this classification system is not scientifically justified or backed-up and yet it is has been used as of late to simplify and assign positions for males in the men's social hierarchy.
Let me know in the comment section what you think!
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