Last updated on December 29th, 2023 at 10:38 am
Young men and women are the most concerned when it comes to alpha male signs and traits in men for obvious reasons, and that is why girls look out for these signs while men are apprehensive to lack them.
The alpha male concept was imported from animals in the wild and ascribed to humans which many scientists frown at.
The alphas in the wild are animals whose driving force is instincts and are undeserving for men to be likened to.
However, the concept somehow got accepted by humans and has become a popular description for men who are assertive and achievers, especially in the business and dating world.
What is important to note is that the alpha posturing has some positive remarks.
In this post, we are going to focus on the positive and negative signs of the alpha male, with everything remaining equal.
The perception of alpha males by young people
The perception of the alpha male by the young man is a dominant male who is respected by peers and women and can have his way by any means.
The perception of him in a young woman is a man who is dominant, strong, and wild with power at his disposal which would be thrilling to be tamed.
The alpha male concept is a controversial topic with varying opinions. While some agree that the alpha male concept should not be brought into the affairs of men, some agree that it’s only the positive attributes that are ascribed to men.
The core alpha male traits
The core alpha male traits cannot be separated from animal behaviour in the wild as the origin.
The human alpha male crusader remains the student of the animals and so should exhibit their traits, both positive and negative.
However, the pro-alpha male would make you believe the alpha male is a refined, benevolent, easygoing, and sanctimonious man who can’t hurt a fly.
You my reader would begin to wonder if the alpha male in the wild should be different from the human alpha males.
And to think that the alpha male rhetoric has been debunked is a reason to hush before running with the alpha male concept.
We are going to hinge the alpha male signs first on the alphas in the wild, and from there we can connect them to human behaviours.
The alpha male in the wild has the following as their core signs:
- Strength
- Dominance
- Intimidation
- Aggression
- Instincts
- Violence
- Pride
Let’s look at them in detail.
Strength
Since the strongest or the bravest in the case of the primates comes out as a winner as the alpha male in the animal kingdom, then strength is an important factor for the alpha male to be successful.
Not just emerging as the alpha, he has to defend it until the day he is dethroned.
Because of his strength, he is able to wade off attacks from other animals and protect the pack, if not, the pack would be overrun. He also uses his strength to subdue the females for sexual activities.
Dominance
Dominance is the act of controlling, prevailing, or powerful position over others, especially in a social hierarchy. The alpha male does not leave a level playing ground for everybody.
He is greedy and only shares because he wants to, not because others need it.
Related: The Dark Side of Beta Males In Relationships
This attribute can still be seen in some animals today who in the presence of food chase away other animals because he is the strongest and can dominate.
Human alpha crusaders know this is not a good attribute of man, and you might not see it as one of the traits of their alpha rhetoric in recent publications.
And when you see it among the list, it is painted in the softest way, trying to give it a safe, healthy meaning. Dominance in its truest form is not a good attribute in human society and is met with stiff resistance.
Intimidation
Intimidation means to coerce, deter, and make afraid as with threats to have another do one’s bidding.
It is a behavioural response in animals as a result of a threat to their food, territory, or other resources.
The display involves a posture that makes it appear aggressive and bigger to inflict fear and flight.
Every animal uses these tactics to get what they want. They employ one tactic after another and fail until they resort to fighting and violence.
In the activities of man, intimidation is not a positive trait. It’s a sign of disrespect and most times leads to violence.
Aggression
Aggression is a spoken or physical behaviour against another that is threatening and mostly involves harm. It is a readiness to attack. Animals in the wild have this as a daily routine.
They constantly show aggression which almost always culminates in violence. It is a trait of the alpha and works for him most time.
Instincts
Animals are instinctive which means an innate, fixed pattern of behaviour. They act on impulse without reasoning.
When the alpha animal sees an intruder, his instinct kicks in for intimidation or any other defensive attitude.
Man is instinctive, but he employs reasoning in his dealings to gauge situations and the best possible approach to issues.
Related: The Kind of Women Alpha Males Want
Violence
Violence is the last resort for the animals when all other measures fail. It is physical behaviour involving physical force with the intention to hurt, kill, or damage.
Alpha animals are ready to go to this length with an intruder or an opposer. This is also how they are dethroned from their high position, sometimes mauled in the process.
The above traits are the original traits of alpha males and if humans should be given the alpha badge, these traits should accompany it.
You cannot claim to be an alpha without the animalistic alpha male traits. If we want to talk about men being masculine in a healthy way, we should describe them with the appropriate adjectives with clear meanings.
Related: How To Be An Alpha Male For Personal Growth
The alpha male crusaders are responsible for the spread of the alpha male rhetoric in humans and are championed in the PUA community.
Pride
Toxic pride is a disdainful behavior or treatment the alpha male carries with him as he sees some behaviours as weaknesses.
The human alpha is so pompous that he loses out on important liaisons and relationships.
He treats his fellow men who share different views with him with disdain and contempt. Toxic pride leads to toxic masculinity.
Here are the signs of the human alpha male:
Negative and positive signs of alpha male
Both the negative and positive alpha male signs are derived from the core alpha male traits we discussed above.
The below signs of the alpha male are not exclusive to the alpha male. In fact, some of these signs also describe the average male.
The key difference is that in alpha males, the signs are too strong and consistent and driven by an agenda – to dominate.
Alpha male signs in humans
While the above signs are exclusively exhibited by animals in the wild, they are also present in the behaviour of men who desire the alpha male badge.
But because man applies to reason and is not solely dependent on instincts for their behaviours, their signs vary.
We are going to list these signs as negative and positive.
Negative signs of alpha male
Most of the alpha male signs are negative and his positive traits are also drawn from these negative traits. Below are the negative signs of the human alpha males.
1. Alpha males have fragile egos/masculinity
The human alpha male has a terribly fragile masculinity/ego. He tries all he can to hide this insecurity because it would be a blow to this super-hard shell.
His masculine fragility is however perceivable by his overbearing actions through which he cloaks his weaknesses.
When his ego is bruised, he even doubles his efforts to redeem it. By so doing, he might hurt people, and be violent and aggressive.
2. He’s not a committed partner in relationships
The alpha male posturer does not commit to relationships. He is a truant in relationship matters. This is because he detests confinement, wants freedom, and is not bound by any relationship rules.
Most of the single moms out there today were abandoned by alpha male posturers who can’t take responsibility.
3. Mask is his everyday companion
It is not a small task to be able to live a fake life of the alpha male on a daily basis. No man is born without weak emotions, but the alpha male only chooses to amplify strong emotions like anger and rage.
He masks his true self by posturing as the strong man in the hood while becoming a different person entirely at home.
This somewhat heavy mask he chooses to wear weighs him down even though it might earn him some respect.
This means he is under continuous pressure to maintain his alpha male status or risk falling off the pedestal.
To notice this alpha male sign is tricky unless you spend more time with him.
4. He’s unnecessarily stubborn and rude
Stubbornness is the natural trait of the human alpha male. He does not conform to rules and always seems to have his own methods of doing things.
As audacious as it may seem, it earns him so much contempt and disdain from people but he does not care one bit.
This explains why he is constantly at loggerheads with colleagues, family members, and friends.
This may also explain why he seldom remains in one job for a long time.
5. He’s highly insecure
Another secret of the human alpha male is that he is highly insecure under the hard posture he presents.
He is so much not comfortable being weak or seen as not man enough. This is why he is scared of women surpassing him in earnings.
As he uses the alpha male status as a standard for a man, he tries to live up to the image. His insecurity keeps him unnecessarily on his toes to keep watch on his fragile ego.
6. He’s a misogynist
The alpha male does not feel comfortable with women in authority. His traditional rigid masculinity detests women to have some kind of power.
He believes women should be at home cooking meals and taking care of kids. This is one of the reasons why the alpha male concept is an offshoot of dangerous masculinity.
This is also a reason for many divorces in the world today. For instance, an alpha male thinks when his wife makes more money, she can cease to be under his control.
He would try to exert his power on her by making unnecessary rules which the wife might find ridiculous and boom! There is trouble. This almost always leads to separation or divorce.
7. He does not care about people’s opinion
When the human alpha male posturer sets out on a plan, he does not care what anybody thinks.
This is an appendage to his stubbornness, but being insensitive to others’ opinions or advice is the height of rudeness.
Sometimes he succeeds in his quest and other times he flops, but this attitude of his threatens teamwork and stresses bonds between people.
8. He hates being a subordinate and sabotages his superiors
The human alpha male might be happy with a new position, but this happiness is always short-lived as he would find faults with his superior and find a way around usurping him.
This lofty ambition always puts him in a precarious situation which either results in axing him or punishment. However, this doesn’t stop him from doing the same in a short while.
He can sabotage his superiors just so he can take their position. This owes to his excessive desire for power.
9. He bullies his way through
An average alpha male is a bully. That’s a fact, irrespective of what people who are trying to make the alpha male look good are saying.
Just like the alpha male in the wild, the human alpha male is a replica. He does not like competition, even though he can participate if he has no choice. He can employ any means to be at the top to enjoy the worship.
Related: 6 Problems With Dating An Alpha Male
10. He frequently gets into a fight
Because he is a bully and foments trouble, he is always in one brawl or another. When his dominant behaviour collides with his type, who can’t contend with his position, a fight ensues.
11. He’s not loyal
An alpha male can be loyal temporarily because of what he has to gain, but cannot remain so after he gets it or if he fails. He is not consistent with his loyalty.
This means his loyalty or humility is always tied to something he has his eyes on and would not bat an eyelid to run off when he is satisfied.
12. He argues to win and not to add value
The ego of the human alpha male comes into play in always everything he does even in arguments. His flair for dominance and winning makes him argue to win and not have an agreement.
It doesn’t matter if his takes are daft. He must engage you in an argument until it degenerates into an altercation. He must win the argument.
13. He’s in his early 20s and below 40s
One obtrusive fact researchers and observers have observed is that most of the alpha male crusaders are below 40 years of age, with a majority of them in their 20s.
This means while not a child or juvenile, he is not fully yet mature or has as much experience in life to give him an all-inclusive perspective of life, especially as it concerns man’s relationship with women.
His testosterone is still at its highest and is the major driver of his thoughts and behaviours. Most alpha male crusaders have different opinions when they are 40 and above.
14. He can’t handle rejection from women
Another reoccurring sign of the alpha male is his penchant to become hurt and animated when a woman rejects his advances.
He is too full of himself that he takes himself as a god who should be revered and worshipped by women.
All he has to do is point, and boom, she’s his. Some even go to the extent of hurting a woman who didn’t accept their advances.
15. He has unhealthy pride
The alpha male is a proud guy and it reflects in his every move and behaviour. He does not have a spirit of sportsmanship and talks to people condescendingly especially people he feels better than.
Anyone who presumably is a rival to him will be ready to be attacked either verbally or in any other way he finds satisfying.
Because of his bloated ego, he does not participate in situations that would expose him for who he is.
16. He’s almost always a cultist or a gang member
Though this is not a very strong sign of the alpha male, in my part of the world, the alpha male posturers are always a particular kind of people – cultists who are violent, aggressive, bullying, and women-beating kind of men.
These are the kind of traits they parade as manliness. Physical strength and power. They never apply emotional smartness, only instincts, and medieval entitlement.
Positive signs of alpha male
Yes! There are positive signs the alpha male possesses and guess what? They are drawn from his flaws:
17. He is confident
Confidence is one of the major alpha male signs and can be seen from a distance. He is not timid or shy away from situations.
He has this air of superiority that people pick up including women. This opens the way for other alpha male signs to shine through.
18. He’s courageous and motivated
The alpha male is very courageous because he has a lot to protect – his pride, ego, and emotionless disposition.
He is courageous because he wants to live up to the fake life he has always projected. This makes him achieve more and break a lot of barriers.
The human alpha male has an uncanny kind of motivation because he does not want to fall short of expectations. He set the bar so high for himself that he has no option but to impress.
He is tenacious in the pursuit of his objectives and never gives up. Even if he trips or falls along the route, he gets back up and continues. He doesn’t use the word “quit” in his language.
19. He’s bold
You cannot take away the boldness of the alpha male. This should not be mistaken with courage as courage is an organized boldness while boldness itself is spontaneous.
His boldness is almost inborn and driven by the same ego and pride. He can confront his boss or any man for that matter who threatens his ego.
His boldness is not just with humans, he also confronts his fears and challenges head-on and almost always wins.
20. He always has a goal
At every given time, the alpha male has an agenda. He schemes, plans, and projects his agenda whether beneficial to him or not, but he always has a goal.
The goals in his life are quite obvious to him. He put a lot of effort into achieving the objectives he set for in his personal and professional life.
Maybe you’ve talked to him or connected with him in some way. Does he appear to have a strong passion for something in his life that he is actively pursuing?
21. He’s not driven by sentiments
The alpha male is a stoic individual, rigid individual who is averse to emotions. Right beyond his expressions, he might have a whole lot of emotions welling up inside of him, but because he must be a man and not appear weak, he hides all of that.
22. An alpha is not afraid to take the lead
The alpha male, because of his ambitiousness, always wants to be at the forefront. He yearns to be the leader of any group he finds himself.
In a dating situation, he always dictates and does not want to be boxed in a situation where his cover would be blown.
23. He is in control of his emotions
Because of his stoic mentality, an alpha male hides his emotions. He doesn’t love his emotions showing, so they have a measure of control.
He rarely becomes anxious when faced with challenges. Expect him to maintain his composure even though others are already stressed out over a chaotic circumstance.
But that does not imply that he is not at all terrified or concerned. He simply understands that in order to think clearly, he must constantly practice mind over matter. He also takes decisions with objectivity since he controls his emotions.
24. He can manipulate situations according to his plans
Men who are alpha can also be deceptive. They can use manipulation to their advantage since they constantly want control over others and their environment.
Additionally, because they are strategic, they can organize or arrange situations to get the outcomes they want.
25. He is competitive
Competition comes naturally to an alpha male. He is not scared to compete, much like alpha animals in the wild battle to rule their group.
In fact, they enjoy competition since it inspires them to put in more effort. As a result, it is common for alpha males to excel in school, take first place in competitions, and advance in their careers.
26. He protects people around him
An alpha male develops a natural sense of dominance. He believes it is his duty to defend everyone who is connected to him. He will use all means required to protect members of his family, friends, or coworkers since doing so will even elevate his status.
Additionally, this explains why people seek him out. When he is around, he emits a sense of security that makes people feel secure.
27. He is a role model to people around him
Because of his leadership abilities, desire for excellence, and dependability, most people admire an alpha guy. He serves as a role model for many young people, especially if he is affluent and prosperous.
It is not surprising that others desire to be like him because he frequently comes out on top.
28. He does not get intimidated by others
An alpha male is fearless and cannot be intimidated. He rather gets defeated in a scuffle than back down from an altercation.
Because of his competitive nature, he thinks he has everything needed for a competition.
29. He faces challenges head-on
The challenges that life presents to alpha males are met with courage. In fact, they flourish in almost every challenge including their worries.
They continue to work even when the risks are great. Though failures are a part of life for them, they never let them get the better of them. They pick themselves up and give it another go.
30. He makes tough decisions
An alpha male is capable of making difficult choices under pressure. He evaluates the problem and makes a decision regarding what to do.
He doesn’t agonize over his choice once he has chosen it. He acts with self-assurance and refrains from questioning his decisions.
31. He is physically strong
Alpha males are physically strong and that could be what makes them buy the alpha male rhetoric in the first place. They feel they are good candidates for the title.
They go ahead to maintain this physical strength by visiting the gym and building more muscles.
This also explains why they quickly get into fights because they can hold their own physically.
32. An alpha male has high standards
Having extremely high standards for both himself and other people is another indication that a guy is a pro-alpha male.
An alpha male has a strong sense of what he wants. This is why he won’t encircle himself with a group of people who are lower than him, or tell him what he wants to hear, and then be all, “Oh yeah, isn’t that cool?”
Now, just because an alpha has high expectations for both himself and other people doesn’t necessarily indicate that he will be a stickler for perfection.
Being a perfectionist and having high standards are two different things.
33. He’s a good conversationist
As someone who is confident and assertive, the alpha male can command attention and engage others in discussion.
Additionally, the alpha male’s ambition and competitive nature can drive them to seek out new ideas and knowledge, making them well-informed and interesting conversationalists.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the concept of alpha male signs is a controversial topic that has generated a lot of interest and debate.
The idea of an alpha male, traditionally defined as the dominant male in a social group, has evolved over time to include various personality traits and behaviors that are perceived as masculine and attractive.
However, the concept is not universally accepted, and many people argue that it is a harmful and outdated stereotype that reinforces toxic masculinity and patriarchy.
It is important to note that the alpha male signs that are commonly cited, such as confidence, assertiveness, and physical strength, are not inherently negative or positive.
These traits can be exhibited by both men and women and can be valuable in many situations.
However, when these traits are taken to an extreme and used to justify aggressive or abusive behavior, they become problematic.
It is up to individuals to decide what traits and behaviors they value and aspire to, but it is important to do so in a way that is respectful and inclusive of all genders and identities.
FAQs on alpha male signs
What are the common alpha male signs and traits?
The common alpha male signs and traits include confidence, assertiveness, physical strength, leadership qualities, dominance, decisiveness, ambition, and competitive nature.
Can women exhibit alpha male signs and traits?
Yes, women can exhibit alpha male signs and traits. The term “alpha female” is sometimes used to describe women who exhibit these traits.
Are alpha male signs and traits important for success in life?
While alpha male signs and traits can be valuable in certain situations, they are not essential for success in life. Many successful individuals exhibit different types of personality traits and behaviors.
Are alpha male signs and traits inherently negative or positive?
Alpha male signs and traits are not inherently negative or positive. It depends on how they are expressed and used. When these traits are taken to an extreme and used to justify aggressive or abusive behavior, they become problematic.
Does exhibiting alpha male signs and traits lead to toxic masculinity?
Not necessarily. Exhibiting alpha male signs and traits does not automatically lead to toxic masculinity. However, when these traits are used to justify harmful behavior toward others or reinforce gender inequalities, they can contribute to toxic masculinity.
REFERENCES
- 15 Signs Of An Alpha Male And Tips To Be Like Him
- Alpha Males in Relationships: 15 Behaviors You Must Know
- Are You An Alpha Male? 12 Signs You Are A True Alpha Male3
Pyo Merez (PsyD) is a distinguished adolescent and adult psychologist at the forefront of mental health advocacy.
With expertise in cognitive and developmental psychology, focusing on social relationships, cultural contexts, and individual differences, Pyo has dedicated his career to empowering adolescents and adults.
As a sought-after speaker and panelist, Pyo shares invaluable insights on issues affecting young people, contributing to a deeper understanding of mental health and well-being in today's society.
