Alpha, Bravo, Delta, Gamma, Sigma or Omega. Which Type of Male are You?

Part Two: Societies Must Function

Alphas:

Highly intelligent, visionary, assertive, confident, and most importantly willing to take responsibility as well as consequences for their actions and the imposition of their will. Think Captain Picard from Star Trek, Former President Donald Trump or Civil Rights leader Malcolm X. The more morality-aligned Alphas are honest, sometimes abrasively so and the one key trait that sets Alphas apart and places them securely at the top of this all male hierarchy is that, aside from the above traits, there also exists a possibility that through their actions or trying to implement their vision, their life might end in murder. A harsh reality, but one that is unavoidable and dependent on how grand their vision is, and what actions they take in bringing it to fruition. Which explains the reality of why there are so few truly Alpha-males under this more expansive classification of males. Most males simply do not want to die by murder as a result of their actions or non-actions. The true Alpha, from the outset of bringing his vision to fruition, knows this may be how dies.

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Bravos:

Also highly intelligent and often mistaken for alphas but are, in fact, happy followers/enforcers of their chosen Alpha’s will and vision. The Bravo male genuinely believes in his Alpha’s vision and is willing to use his equally high intelligence, will, presence and competence to achieve that Alpha’s vision. They can easily assume the role of an Alpha, if needed, but are not completely comfortable there. Think Riker from Star Trek, whom in the old model, would be considered an alpha, but this new theory, better describes him and his role on the Starship Enterprise. As it does that of Ned Stark from Game of Thrones or Silvio Dante from the Sopranos. Bravos enjoy the privilege and respect of people also willing to follow them if they were to reluctantly find themselves in the Alpha position. And the key trait of a true Bravo is that he has no desire to usurp his Alpha. An important distinction that will become important later. Bravos are force-multipliers to an Alphas vision and an Alpha male that has carefully chosen a group of dedicated Bravos, has a high chance of achieving his vision.

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Deltas:

Delta Males are pragmatic and mentally well-adjusted. They draw genuine pride and self-worth from their work and even more so from their family life. They don’t have a vision or grand design they wish to make reality. Are generally good-natured, honest, reliable, trustworthy, tactful and also intelligent. While respected in their social groups, unlike Alphas and Bravo males who may not have time to spend with their families due to their all-consuming vision, Deltas PRIORITISE it. Making them excellent fathers and husbands. Two common downsides of having an Alpha or Bravo father or husband is infidelity or absenteeism from their family’s lives. Deltas don’t seek dominance like the Alpha; or put themselves in positions where dominance might be required of them. All they want is basic recognition and acknowledgement for their competence and contributions to the community or organization. Unlike the Alphas and Bravos, Deltas prefer to avoid confrontation. Not saying they are push-overs but will only engage in confrontation if the situation is dire and all other methods have been exhausted. These men are willing to make fair compromises and are arguably the main reason a society thrives or dies due to the majority of men falling into this category. Think of pre-cancer diagnoses Walter White from Breaking Bad; Marshall from HIMYM or Carver and Herc from The Wire.

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Gammas:

The worst type, they actively avoid all conflict or confrontation. They are, however, highly intelligent and often more so than Alpha, Bravo or Delta. These men are mal-adjusted adults who are resentful of Alphas and Bravos because of the attention they get from women; and intrinsic respect from society or an organization. They feel entitled to the passive adulation Alphas and Bravos receive naturally. They desperately wish to be in an Alpha’s position, and so will often seek to be near an Alpha, while always plotting to undermine and usurp that Alpha’s position. What Gamma males don’t understand is that an Alpha is chosen from his social and professional circle based on vision, competence, intelligence, trustworthiness and sometimes a sheer physical presence and willingness for dominance often required of them, and them equally comfortable in exerting it. Gammas however, want the Alpha role and feel they’re entitlement to it is based on their higher than average intelligence alone. While tactful in social settings, these men prefer cunning and manipulation over direct confrontation to achieve their goals. A key trait of Gamma males is that they are vindictive, envious and will blame others for their short comings. Women may initially find a Gamma attractive because he is mimicking the traits of an Alpha or Bravo, but once identified as a Gamma and his true nature is revealed, they become repulsive to women. This is due to the one key trait of a Gamma in that they lie to others and to themselves about their position in the hierarchy. Fancying themselves to be a kind of “Secret Alpha”, secretly feeling as if they are at the top of hierarchy and actively deriving pleasure from their secret manipulations.

Undesirable in organizations because men like this will hold onto grudges and may actively seek to harm that organization to appease their vindictive nature. Despite having the intelligence and perhaps vision to to be Alpha, their inherent dishonesty and non-confrontational nature, makes others unwilling to follow them. Much unlike Alphas, Bravos and Deltas who deeply understand and respect accountability in leadership and, most importantly, respect the sense of order this hierarchy aides to the maintaining of a functioning society, Gammas resent hierarchies.

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Sigmas:

The Sigma male or, “The Lone Wolf” is often, at a glance, confused with either a Gamma or an Alpha (depending on their actions) but this male archetype is as rare as an Alpha but differs from the Alpha and all others in some key areas through unique traits. They are honest to a fault, sometimes brutally so like the Alpha, but never being so out of malice. A Sigma has zero interest in participating in any hierarchy, while at the same willing to do so if called upon (which is often). They may have a vision but would rather work at it alone. In fact, they actively prefer solitude over participating in any social event due to their high intelligence (IQ and EQ) and are often intellectuals of their field. They are highly observant, natural lie detectors and are so committed to the praxis of sound logic that the often false and duplicitous nature of prolonged social interactions taxes their mental energy. The weight of watching and seeing through the fakeness and false personas projected by others is a chore they know they must endure from time to time. Hence their need for down-time alone to process, self-reflect and work on their chosen craft or vision as well as themselves. The Sigma is confident but humble because unlike the other males types, the Sigma’s self-worth is not based, in the least, on the opinions of others. They don’t need outside validation because, in their solitude, they have already applied objective logic to the work they are passionate about and so, are their own worst critique. They are quiet like the Delta but are also unafraid of confrontation like the Bravo and Alpha and will speak their mind if they see a logical inconsistency being unfairly leveled at themselves or others.

While many Gammas often like to think of themselves as the “Secret Alpha”, when exposed as a duplicitous Gamma, they will then often try to assume the characteristics of a Sigma. Which they fail at because the key differences between a Sigma and a Gamma, is that Sigmas never lie, are not vindictive and would actively rather not participate in the hierarchy, or care about the social adulation that comes with being an Alpha or Bravo. They simply do not care who likes them and who doesn’t. If fact, a true Sigma will not even ascribe himself this label as he rejects all labels whether they be positive or negative.

If an Alpha has asked a Sigma to join their hierarchy (formal or informal and if they accept) they will never seek to usurp the Alpha. To the contrary, they will “play their role” in that hierarchy without question and earn the respect of others in that hierarchy through their actions. If their actions aren’t enough to prove their worth, they will simply walk away from that hierarchy because they’re content with their own company and actively prefer it anyway.

Sigmas do not need attention from women to validate their masculinity, but women who take the time to get know a Sigma, will be genuinely intrigued when they discover a deeply complex individual, whom at first glance appeared simple and unassuming. The enigmatic nature is not an act they are trying to put one, it is who they are and they simply don’t care who appreciates it and who doesn’t.

While not ever seeking positions of leadership, they often find themselves in those positions through actions that display their high level of competence.

Sigmas are generally a net positive to any organisation they join because their intelligence, powerful observational skills and honesty. Sometimes other males will be intimidated by these traits and will seek to harm or hinder a Sigma’s professional or social development. If the Sigma finds out, they will not shy away from direct confrontation like the Gamma but instead form a plan to retaliate (if the grievance is worth their time) that they have given enough thought to, that its chance of failure is near zero. One would greatly benefit from a Sigma next to, or behind them rather than against.

Well-written TV shows with well developed characters offer us profound glimpses into these male archetypes, and for the Sigma, quite possibly no other better representations of that type of male is better portrayed than in HBO’s Det. Rustin Chole from the first season of True Detective or Det. Lester Freeman from The Wire. Writer, Hunter S. Thompson has similar Sigma traits though rumours (some verified) of involvement with the occult (perhaps without his knowledge) combined with his intense substance abuse show fluctuations between morality and immorality in his life that is not typically in the nature of a true Sigma.

Conclusion:

One thing to keep in mind is that all of these male types are defined by Western cultural standards. When transplanted to other cultures, misclassification often results. A Gamma in the US or UK may be mistakenly viewed as an Alpha in an Asian cultural setting. Just as Asian Alpha in an Asian cultural context, may in fact, be a Gamma when viewed from a Western perspective. So I implore those who have read this, to spare the time to observe male interactions and see if it rings true to you too.

For a live video presentation of this theory, subscribe to my YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC30W06Y8ZY&list=PLfFD5yUzLRa7gt-ai63-wlC7K7SXWXtGK