Ethologists - scientists who observe the behavior of social animals - have long wondered: why do members of the herd or flock obey the leader? How is an alpha male detected? And on what grounds is a rigid linear hierarchy established within the animal community? When it comes to single males with a harem (like, for example, chickens), scientists there, and before them countless generations of farmers, observed the same hierarchy, but prevailing among females. By the way, this term was first applied specifically to chicken, that is, females. In 1922, the Norwegian scientist Schjeldrupp-Ebbe formulated the "rule of the first pecking." The first to start a meal when feeding chickens is an alpha female, then beta, gamma, and so on, until omega. An attempt by a subordinate individual to take the grain earlier is immediately suppressed by pecking the head from the higher side.
In monkeys, where in the pack there are several males and many females with cubs (including with older sons), the dominant alpha male is also clearly visible. Signs of his power are expressed in external features: sex hormones provoke the growth of fangs, a bright color of the sciatic corns (in some species). Basically, such an animal shows its high position during mating. It vigilantly ensures that no other member of the community - neither young nor newcomer - claims its harem. However, in the life of the monkey flock, he takes minimal participation - where the female wise experience decides where to go for feeding.
Another hierarchy is observed in a pack of wolves. David Mitch, who has been observing their behavior for several years, also argues that discipline, cohesion and organization of the team largely depend on the personality of the leader. Alpha male - the wolf leads a pack on the hunt, the first trails the paths in deep snow, raises the community from the rest, chooses migration routes. Since these animals are monogamous and, mainly, family animals that are faithful to partners, both males and females unite in a flock. Thus, two hierarchical lines are formed in the pack - male and female. By the way, sometimes the she-wolf also plays the role of leader of the pack.
In wolves, unlike primates, an alpha male rarely shows open aggression. To maintain order, a whole system of sound signals and gestures is used (showing fangs, false lunges, emitting urine over the place where the opponent defecated). In addition, the leader never claims all the she-wolves of the pack: beta and gamma individuals also give birth to offspring. The exception is only omega males, which are also called biological castrates. But this does not happen on the initiative of the dominant leader, but because all the "ladies" in the pack refuse such proximity.
Observations of the behavior of social (herd or merging together for the sake of hunting) animals led people to think that the same mechanisms operate in human society as in a pack. After all, Homo Sapiens came out of the bosom of nature, and is, in fact, a highly organized animal. These parallels between the behavior of people and animals in their communities led to the appearance of various theories (eugenics, social Darwinism, etc.) based on the fact that the alpha male will inevitably take a leading role. Moreover, in the history of mankind we find many examples when certain social groups emphasized their dominant position with hairstyles, clothes, other signs, severely punishing lower-ranking individuals for following such a fashion. It is enough to recall the ban of purple for plebs in ancient Rome or caste in India.
But in human society, in contrast to animal society, more complex mechanisms operate. We observe in ourselves, rather, the dominance of certain clans or groups than a demonstration of the strength of a man. Even if the “alpha male” strengthens his position in society, he will, according to the right of inheritance strictly in human society, pass it on to children, who may not be alpha individuals at all, but gamma and even omega. If we talk about the leadership qualities of the “leader”, then they can be developed with age, upbringing and education. If, as it is customarily mistakenly believed, alpha is distinguished by aggressiveness, then this quality in the human community quickly puts such an individual outlawed and assigns it the role of a pariah. As we see, the image of "alpha" in relation to a man is somewhat tight, but continues to be cultivated: this is the so-called "machismo" (from the word macho - a real man).