I am going to disagree with Vox here, knowing full well that he is smarter then I am. However, I do think that I have a better insight into some of the inner feelings and workings of the Gamma, having been one mostly for 31 years (I was really sick and delegated to Omega status for awhile). The core behaviors are quite hard for many to change because of the ways that people go about it. We don't even know what exactly they are trying to fix. Alot goes into behavioral patterns.
My proposition is double.
First the true nature of the Gamma. A gamma is someone born with a certain personality score and/or neurodivergence that leads them to being more sensitive on average. There are sensitive people who are not Gamma. They then try to get socialized early on in life and fail miserably. Whether this is due solely to their personality score, or possible bad/negligent parenting (tons of gammas have single moms) doesn't matter too much. What matters is they experience the opposite of the "winner effect". They try and fail. Try and fail. This is all at a very young age, probably between 2 and 5. This reinforces in their neurobiology that they are a low status man. Due to the pain, they develop egregious maladaptive coping mechanisms such as the classic Gamma Shield.
The second part is how to go about reversing that. Since we now know some of the environmental and neurochemical factors that lead to their behavior, we can work on producing the opposite effect. This is why the Gym works better then a psychology book for a Gamma. Its biology just as much as psychology. Heavy weights, clean meat heavy diet. Celibacy/Semen Retention.
This is a good start, but modern medical engineering has far more to say about healing the nervous system.
Martial arts, Low Dose Nalxterone, Bioenergetic Feedback, eye movement desentsization
If we can get rid of the fear response we can get rid of the Gamma
I'll give you a counter-argument. Your core SSH is Omega, as is mine. I too have boasted on this site that I've solved the Gamma. I hadn't. The Gamma mentality is narcissism or something like it. He looks in the mirror and sees someone else; and it's only a matter of time until someone else sees it. For 31 years, did you feel like a winner who wasn't getting his due?
I really appreciate it and I hope so lol. I feel like going from Omega straight past Gamma has to be alot easier then Gamma to Delta
The vast majority of the time I did not feel ike a winner who wasn't getting his due. I did feel like that with women to some degree, it perplexed me how much they liked men other then me. I would often get women attracted me before they knew me better, but as time went on they all became disgusted with me in that way, the opposite of what I would have presumed at the time
I would say I have an unsatiable desire to find out why others win and why I lose. I always thought I was better then my circumstances to a degree. Unlike other Gammas, I feel painfully aware of my short comings alot of the time and have addressed many of them. I
The Gamma narcissism is a shield. They feel terrible growing up and they use the shield to protect themselves. If the shield is attacked in any way, even by other people just existing, it causes them to freak out. The increase in Gammas makes me think they are made as much as born. That which is Made can be Unmade to a degree, the core issue why most Gammas can't is their shield is so strong they can't admit there is a problem in the first place.
I spent a good amount of time on this site figuring myself for some sort of well-behaved Gamma. You're unlike other Gammas because you aren't one. Gammas aren't painfully aware of shortcomings by definition.
The Omega ranking rattled me when Vox first mentioned it. It seems to have a bit of consensus on site of being simply a loser. Vox doesn't give a mental mechanism for Omega like the Gamma delusion bubble.
Since an Omega doesn't have a shield, I think they are more readily capable of improvement; provided they haven't fallen into despair. The inability to figure out what separates others' success from your failure also seems Omega to me.
Have you managed more success at this point, or is the pattern continuing?
So in my teen years in had energy but I was obese. Girls would be attracted to me and I'd fuck it up. I had several health conditions that would probably be pretty identifying but lets just say they are very serious and uncurable.
In my early 20s I gave up for a couple of years cause I was still fat and a virgin and i had put in 100 more effort in then everyone else I knew (friends were eating mcdonalds equivalent and i was making tuna alfafa sandwiches)
But I realized I was just going to go into a spiral torwards death. So at 300 pounds I decided to lost weight and get my life back in order.
Reason I am fairly confident in the self up routine is cause it worked for me to a large degree. I was a virgin until 28. For several years I was close to bed ridden with illness. I live on my own, have a girlfriend (like a 2 or 3 but still), work out, pay my bills. So infinitely better then before, but I still have 130 iq+ and fairly gifted, my features are above average. So I want to be doing alot more and I know I could be doing alot more once I have the resources.
I guess me giving up and falling into despair is another omega tell
You've had a hard road and seem to be handling yourself commendably.
I maintained my virginity for a similar timeframe with just the power of autism. In my teens I was 6 feet tall, 145 lbs, blonde hair, blue eyes and played hockey. Only real physical drawback was glasses. I felt almost completely invisible to girls due to undiagnosed Asperger's and bearing a striking resemblance to my popular older brother (lower Alpha, possibly Sigma). The vast majority of my conversations were just some guys and a lot of girls wanting to know my brother's whereabouts (I rarely knew).
I'm glad you've made great strides to improve your life and I hope you realize your ambitions.
"One’s efforts at self-improvement are not necessarily in vain, and also, a failed attempt is better than a nonexistent one. If nothing else, at least you’ll obtain additional information on what doesn’t work."
The issue before that, it's that no one wants to show humility. The social losers are proud. They don't want to be measured. The point of sedation and distraction is to remove the focus from themselves. Insights of how much they suck, in specifics, that's what they need. And it's the last thing they want to pay attention to in sobriety and humility. It's other people's fault.
Guys talk about how huge their dicks are, and women talk about how great they are with people. The socially successful don't need to talk about themselves, as they spoken for by others.
Its not that difficult to play it cool, trying to force yourself to alpha rank only makes you look like an idiot. Setting aside the ego is key. Gammas should maybe take up zen buddhism?
This is difficult for me. I know the fractal nature of the hierarchy is correct by observation but I cannot articulate what exactly is happening and therefore there must be a void in my understating of the deeper mechanisms at play. I will give a shot at articulation.
Surely the rapid restructuring of the hierarchy when new higher performance arrivals come do not change core behaviors of individuals. I do not believe that a core-alpha can transform into a core-gamma at the introduction of a higher status alpha. True gamma-hood requires a delusion bubble to be an actual core-gamma which is formed in adolescence to the best of my knowledge. However I suspect what we are observing in an insecure alpha, can come off as gamma behavior not because the alpha has become a gamma but because insecurity is a core behavior trait and identifier of a low status man. The difference I think is important because the alpha suddenly losing significant status to another would be unlikely to shrink into a newly formed delusion bubble, but would in very high probability begin competing to reclaim or re-establish his previous position by all means necessary. Alternatively, I believe the overtaken alpha is much more likely to leave the hierarchy altogether and form a new one than to accept a reduction of status in his local hierarchy. This is because his core Alpha behavior is hardwired neurologically. The bravos would be put into the position of have to choose one Alpha or the other. We do see this all the time.
Ultimately it stands true that of course the hierarchy is fractal existing at several levels simultaneously, but it is also true that core behaviors are well defined, predictable and unlikely to change. An Alpha will probably always be an alpha because he cannot be anything else even if that means exile, or death at the hands of a challenger.
He efficiently seduced Eve into being his tool to bring down Adam. If he had visited her as a human rather than a snake, they would have easily had an affair. Don’t kid yourself.
I will add to Legionnaire's post that plenty of gammas have also used women to attempt to take down Alphas.
Example: Reid Hoffman is the billionaire who funds Jean Carroll's eternal rape lawsuit against Donald Trump. If you look up Hoffman's picture you'll guess his SSH immediately. In fact here's Hoffman and his wife.
Surely you would not say that this man is an alpha, despite his ability to turn a woman into a weapon against Trump. Likewise just because Satan could turn Eve into a weapon against Adam does not make him necessarily alpha.
Satan didn't have sex with Eve, and Hoffman probably didn't have sex with Carroll.
The error Eve made wasn't about how chadly Adam vs Satan was, it was about Eve giving into her own desires and Adam not slapping that error down. Even the most turbo alpha is going to have a wife that rebells as we see with Trump's 3 divorces. All women will do that, Satan didn't mind control anyone. There are also many, many stories of women who cheat on their husband for an inferior man for rebellion's sake.
To clarify my point, it's not about the sex, it's about the rebellion. And to add onto that, gammas inspire rebellion against the hierarchy far more than other alphas. It's not like Satan went up to Adam and beat him up in a fistfight and then had sex with an enamored Eve. Deception, turning your desires against you, hiding. There's certainly a reason Satan didn't approach Adam in person, and alphas don't generally operate in such a cowardly manner.
Perceived status is not the same as actual status. If you perceive Satan as an alpha, that is your subjective perception. I am not going to argue with your subjective theological opinion on the SSH of a supernatural being.
It's also different when the 'new arrival' Alpha comes in with the whole squad of Bravos like in the cited story than when someone who is characteristically Alpha joins a new group. I've noticed that in the latter such situations the Alphas tend to find a situational Bravo of the group and slowly-surely earn their respect from the situational Alpha instead of trying to play posturing games at higher risk of failure. This is presumably because they respect the position of Alpha and know what it is like to be one and thus are more considerate of the situational expectations any typical Alpha would and should have for newcomers.
I have done some mental experiments thinking about the fractal nature of the SSH, imagining situations that urgently call for someone to take the lead and you only have one same SSH profile on all the men around.
I think one of the best scenarios is a "Lost" kind of thing where a plane falls, nobody knows each other and now has to survive together.
You know that even if they are all gammas, one of them will be the least gamma of the gammas and one of them will be the most. The least gamma is likely to lead, the most gamma is likely to be thrown out of the group given enough time and opportunity to screw things up in any way for the rest of the group.
And then you will have a full SSH hierarchy in that island made of people who outside of it would all be gammas to the rest of the world.
A really unlikely scenario that I thought is funny is if you only have sigmas on the island.
I think only alphas could become violent really quick.
An island of only Gammas sort of describes India. As for only Alphas, I’ve seen joking that this is why Ireland never effectively united against outside invasions.
Is the boat or the plane full of gammas hypothetical? We have TV-shows such as Big Brother, and we could persuade the gammas to go on that trip, if we promised them fame after.
Alphas are the last group to become violent. They're the best at skill with people. The better the players of a team play with each other, the better the team plays.
Verbal sparring would establish who is the most dominant. As Alphas, they also care about their groups back at home who need them, so surviving and getting back to civilization is the priority. A good time for a situational Alpha with the right skillset to take charge.
The SSH is fractal, so you might have one Alpha play the Gamma because ego. Still, survival and duty is going to be a pretty good motivator to play nice and stay alive.
I imagine a good action movie. One of those old ones. Two or more cops, but stranded on an island.
Talented guys high up in ranks, they don't argue who is first, second, third and so on. It's the first thing they need to know. It's on the other side of the SSH, where metrics of performance haunt them. That's where you find a lot of pride.
I don't think Alphas would become violent. One of the differences between groups of men and groups of women in these kind of situations is that men sort themselves into hierarchy relatively quickly. And once established, that hierarchy proves both stable and functional. in terms of multiple Alphas, there's plenty of room within an organization for leadership underneath the "top dog," once he's established.
From the examples I've seen, groups of women in survival situations are predictably dysfunctional, and it seems like that's largely because they don't form a clear hierarchy and never cease from infighting for improved position within the group.
Agreed, I played myself on the last bit about the Alphas, didn't give it a lot of thought as I was just finishing the comment. But I'm happy it sparked the conversation!
I will ask you the same I asked Cedric above, how do you think the Alphest Alpha would estabilish his lead with the other alphas? Because the main point to me is that all of them want to lead and not follow, and one of them has to prove to the others that it is better to follow him.
Unfortunately, I don't feel qualified to speculate on that too much. I'm no Alpha, and A group of 100% Alphas, all strangers to each other, suddenly vying for leadership, is so outside anything I've seen before that it's hard to predict.
The only guess I have is that, at least initially, it would come down to "compliance tests." Different Alphas would figure out what needs to be prioritized and ask others to join them in doing it or to task them to do it. The Alphas who got the most joiners / followers and who could secure the most resources to benefit their followers would then vie for leadership of the group. But that's a WAG on my part.
True enough, and those are some great examples, but in most of the scenarios you describe, the people wouldn't all be strangers, nor would they be tasked to immediately work together to solve the primal, non-negotiable problems of survival.
I guess gammas aren't able to talk smack. Because that "do you think I'm really an Indian" line was a softball. The first thought that hit me was to laugh and say "How the hell would I know? I'm a white guy. Y'all look alike to us. The only way to tell would be to find out if you prefer cows, goats, or young boys" It's all in the delivery.
The gamma was frightened before the dude ever opened his mouth. There's no way he could ever come up with such a response, much less manage to squeak it out in a tense social situation.
If you are able to do a friendly jab that still shows you are in your place, but that you are fun and don't have a stick up your butt I think alphas can respect that.
The alphas that give me the want to follow them the most usually can take a joke really well, on the right place and time of course, which gammas have trouble sticking to.
It's in the delivery AND the person delivering. A gamma, who fears the dust up, could not say that without getting thrashed. Too much anxiety would cloud the humor making it off putting. Know your audience, yes, but also know yourself (which is kind of the point of the post).
It takes some "reading the room" and context awareness. There's some guys just looking for a fight, sure, but a joke like that one would work in 95% of situations and the other 5%, nothing would work (except having more and bigger guys in your corner of the ring).
Humor is a great way to defuse a flex. It's my signature move. Usually, there's a pregnant pause as everyone looks at each other, then laughter busts out and you buy the guy a drink. It has to be delivered with a laugh. I suppose a fight could break out, but it never has for me.
As you note, humor works unless it doesn't. Hard to tell, but my suspicion is that the gamma in the story above realized that he was in real danger of a beating and a typical attempt at a joke was not going to work and instead he verbally rolled over on his back.
Situational status can be a hell of a drug. It can warp your perception of yourself. I'm president of a large riding chapter with affiliate chapters around the globe and have become accustomed to a certain amount of deference from large groups of traditionally masculine men. But it only takes about a nanosecond for my status to be altered in the presence of the High Alphas. There's no uncertainty in our sphere about who the top dogs are.
So status is fixed but situationally obscured by the status quo?
Some of the Dagestani pro fighters out here make my most alpha mates from back home look like Delta's yet amongst their group they are still Delta. It's a real eye opener.
Yes. Core behavioural patterns are pretty much fixed, and they are the primary factor in a man's social status in general. We simply are who we are.
However, social status in any specific situation is a combination of who we are + our relative success / power / wealth / skill / fame / seniority.
When multiple Alphas are in the same group, those factors determine who is the Alpha in that setting.
This distinction & overlap between "innate behaviour status" and "measurable markers of success status" is a confusing part of the male SSH, which I daresay SDL will elucidate for the masses.
They aren't, it's just most people never achieve the necessary self-awareness, and even if they did, the effort required from theme would be Herculean, if not Sisyphean.
Ensign Dilligaf - OK, sounds like you agree that core behavioural patterns are, in practice, pretty much fixed, because the probability of change is so low that appropriate comparisons are to legendary heroes and kings numbering one among billions?
It does get super confusing. I think this comment partially answers my next question - what truly makes an alpha, I have some mates from class who are way better fighters than me in the gym but socially shy and awkward and defer to me as the alpha in social situations.
Core change IS possible, but in my years of looking into this in some depth, the only 3 reliable things I found to do it are:
1. Guided ONE TIME LSD trip with attending medics/professionals that know what they are doing to make the trip a positive one and the LSD is clean and known quantities used. This is now essentially illegal all around the world but was done on thousands of prisoners in the 60s and 70s in the USA and dropped convict recidivity rate from 85% to less than 25% (from memory).
2. At least 20 years of almost fanatical dedication to a skill, preferably a physical one, but it could be painting, music etc. If you achieve a certain level of mastery, there are intrinsic qualities in any sport that will tend to rub-off on you. Swimmers will tend to be relatively individualistic, but not as much as fencers and martial artists tend to become forgiving of many human weaknesses and can be loyal as well as individualistic, and so on. Even then some core functions remain as definite "colour" or "flavour".
3. Dedication (on the obsessive level is best) combined with hypnosis. This can reduce the time it takes by other means by a LOT, like actual decades, but needs to be supported/followed/and continued by action.
The only other thing that can do it pretty instantly is what they calle a SEE (Significant Emotional Event) Short of being struck by lightning, having a near death experience, or having a Road to Damascus moment these are pretty rare and certainly not predictable/repeatable.
Brother, at the dysfunctional end of things -- and I have too many years working with such -- the things that make a difference are the Spirit of God leading to repentance and time.
I have seen a number of people try ketamine, guided LSD and hallucinogens. I have worked with researchers in these areas, and chose NOT to join their clinical team because the people I was helping had not found solutions there. I was taught hypnosis in my training. We don't have good practitioners here.
Fanatical dedication to a skill can help, but those people are less dysfunctional. Fanatical training means that you have to deal with the iron and the stopwatch. Neither of them lie.
I think with, repentance, discipline, and time you can mature and become a better version of yourself. This is what the old theologians, of course, called sanctification. But you will, to the end of your days, need to discipline your weaknesses, and every part of the SSH has inherent weaknesses.
You're right, I think. A couple of weeks ago there was a commenter here at Sigma Game who wrote a fairly lengthy comment detailing how he changed from a Gamma to a successful Delta, with a high paying job, responsibility and a beautiful wife. He didn't really think he had much, if any, Gamma tendencies left in him after 30 years. But my Gamma radar immediately went off on starting to read his comment, and it wasn't just triggered by his finishing touch of stating he nowadays harbors some "Alpha or even Sigma tendencies" (obvious Gamma delusion there!). No, it was something else that convinced me he was a Gamma at core. Not sure exactly what it was though. But, that just goes to show that if a guy can work really hard for 30 YEARS and overcome a lot of bad habits and tendencies, and I can still spot the Gamma in him - it's probably like The Kurgan says that absent any major emotional/traumatic event you're not going to change your core.
I would replace LSD with psylocibin, but yeah, i believe it has the capacity to "flush" or reset things in a way.
It is not a magic pill, I think it is similar to obese people who get the bypass surgery.
You see people who had the surgery get all the weight they lost back a while later because they did not actually deal with the problem. But the surgery gives you a strong start towards the path.
The same way, you can flush your brain with something like that, and you will initially feel renewed for months, like all the dirt in your head got cleaned, but if you stick to the same behaviours as before, it will all come back and be the same.
I've noticed that it's dangerous to measure how much or for how long you have to work. Guys hate girls who do the minimum to catch and trap him in marriage, and girls hate the guys who do enough to get laid. "How little do I have to do, to get what I want and what I feel is mine?!" It's not intrinsic, if you're asking when your deserved salary is coming.
"When will I get results in the gym?" Wrong question. The right questions are, how long time have you gone to the gym, how is your form, and when are you going there again?
Desmond Doss got his medals, his reputation and a movie made about him, because he chose to do the work he chose. Without his belief, he would have been broken so early. But it was he who carried them, despite what they did to him. Doss wasn't looking to get his. He was looking to work and suffer.
Desmond was a clear Delta. At the point where the squad refuses to go out without him, opposed to picking on him in the past, it is like he became indispensable to the team and the length he alone was willing to go in his role gave everyone more confidence to do their role, even higher status guys.
What I take from this is that "Yeah, probably you will be a Delta for the rest of your life. But you can be the best Delta". Become indispensable to your team. Go all out.
Possible. I don't care. My rank or his rank doesn't matter, when it's about doing.
When I think of character, skills and growth, I look at it in a classless way. The skills and how high those skills are, that's what matters. How well you do the sub-skills, that's what matters. How well I do my work, how well I handle other people around me, that's what everyone else ranks me in. You get better at doing it, by doing it.
When I think too much about doing, doing it well, it looks poorly done and I don't like it. I do my best work when I've stopped thinking about. Anxiousness is a mind in the future. Anxious thoughts about making a good impression, it never leads anywhere.
When I am with a younger christian doing something, I don't think about making a good impression as an alpha. I don't have time for that. If I care about him, I'm frustrated with him, myself or both of us, as we do that something together.
Experiencing brutal Truth is incredibly effective but unpredictable in it's results as you say. The more often they happen though the easier it gets to have positive results.
Having witnessed up-close effects of intense hallucinogenic experiences, they usually go one of two ways: it either enhances or obliterates personal delusions. The enhancement allows you just go deeper into the delusion, and it becomes an SSRI for the soul. The fallout from obliteration is where the true test lies.
If the British gamma had been a different type, would the Iraqi alpha have reacted differently? How would a sigma handle this situation? Although the post is about the alpha punching down, I'm not sure how a sigma would react in this scenario where punching down is ineffective.
I'm not sure that a Sigma would get the same question. The Alpha would behave as if encountering a fellow Alpha, and start some other kind of dominance testing. Body language is probably where it happens.
A sigma would handle it the same as they always do. Watch, listen, learn. I'm not sure why there's an obsession with engaging in conversation. Anyone know a Sigma that isn't taciturn?
I do. The sigma I know would actually ask where he's from with interest and try to connect it with his own knowledge and experiences to create some immediate social bond. In my experience even if he has to make a guess and be wrong he'd pivot to the Dagestani's correction to let him talk about himself. Maybe he'd get the Dagestani to vent about how people are always getting his country wrong and list off stories about the funniest or most off-base instances. It's hard to say exactly how it'd go beyond that because the Sigma's social agility has continually surpassed my expectations in even the most tense, dramatic or dangerous situations.
Interesting, my first response to the opening salvo of “where am I from” from the *alpha* would be an internal “it didn’t occur to me to care.” I’d likely just look at him and shrug, with mild concern for him that he felt the need to ask the question.
Not an expert opinion, but the Sigma would not be phased by a big, bad alpha entering the room. I picture him finding an opportune moment to make light conversation with the alpha as if he already knew him.
I agree with this I thought a better response would have been to double down and then laugh it off... "Yeah bro, haha, you guys all look the same to me... Nah I'm just kidding where are you from?"
I am not high status and this is what I naturally do. I just acknowledge their superior status, give value (which they don't need) and then have a pleasant convo with them. What can be tiresome is when the alpha just gets all the attention, shares none and I am an accessory to his experience. Good and pleasant alphas are the ones who elevate you with them such: "This is my good friend." And also take an interest in you. I just try to be a good man and know my place.
Vox has talked about how Sigma best mimics delta when necessary. In this situation, Sigma would have no need to threaten alpha status. Hes there to learn. I suspect the difference would be most apparent during the actual instruction, with the Sigma being sure of himself, and the delta being highly deferential.
It makes sense. Why care or do more than expected? It's the alpha's guys. Not the sigma's. He is only a babysitter for a while, until the alpha is back again. The closest biological family cares about each other much more than outsiders. I'm an uncle, and I care, but I don't care about my siblings' children as much as they do about their own children.
A very interesting example is in STEM. The high status "engineer" will at times go full gamma when bumping into a real bravo, and at time even a high delta.
As stated, know what you are, strive to be the best you can be. I have been in a bravo role now for a decade. Still want to go back to a solid delta IC role, since the energy I have to burn to do my current role is different then what I am built for.
Great story from the reader. Gammas can also be big, strong, do combat sports, be on steroids, and lead their little groups of low status guys in a situational Alpha role, but when they interact with much higher status men you'll immediately see their true colours.
I guess that Gammas are less common in combat sports; I've known several impressive weightlifters who were very much Gamma - Omega types, yet would automatically be treated as an Alpha by most normal men down the pub.
I think it's that anyone can play at being any particular role but it's both energy consumptive and highly sensitive to disruption. So an alpha can be a delta but he doesn't get that zest for life, and likewise a delta can be an alpha in a team but he'll go home drained. In their element they go home charged up and satisfied ready for tomorrow.
And they can maintain an unnatural pose in a familiar circumstance but once anything unexpected happens they have no choice but to use their default program. An alpha, best example is Mr. Incredible in 'The Incredibles', can crunch away at a computer like a delta as a routine job but once an unexpected dangerous criminal shows up his instinct is to take charge immediately.
And the delta or gamma may be able to act alpha in a controlled setting but the day a mysterious stranger shows up they flail and fall back on what comes natural. The highlighted story about the Dagestani is perfect to demonstrate that. It could also have been that a redheaded girl walks into a room with the gamma's all male team that's equally disruptive to the alpha act.
Dave - Sure, and I can immediately think of counter examples from my life - social-Alpha guys who love their work-Delta role because it pays well and doesn't distract from their real interests, and social-Delta guys who love being the boss at work because hey, they are the boss for a change!
I am going to disagree with Vox here, knowing full well that he is smarter then I am. However, I do think that I have a better insight into some of the inner feelings and workings of the Gamma, having been one mostly for 31 years (I was really sick and delegated to Omega status for awhile). The core behaviors are quite hard for many to change because of the ways that people go about it. We don't even know what exactly they are trying to fix. Alot goes into behavioral patterns.
My proposition is double.
First the true nature of the Gamma. A gamma is someone born with a certain personality score and/or neurodivergence that leads them to being more sensitive on average. There are sensitive people who are not Gamma. They then try to get socialized early on in life and fail miserably. Whether this is due solely to their personality score, or possible bad/negligent parenting (tons of gammas have single moms) doesn't matter too much. What matters is they experience the opposite of the "winner effect". They try and fail. Try and fail. This is all at a very young age, probably between 2 and 5. This reinforces in their neurobiology that they are a low status man. Due to the pain, they develop egregious maladaptive coping mechanisms such as the classic Gamma Shield.
The second part is how to go about reversing that. Since we now know some of the environmental and neurochemical factors that lead to their behavior, we can work on producing the opposite effect. This is why the Gym works better then a psychology book for a Gamma. Its biology just as much as psychology. Heavy weights, clean meat heavy diet. Celibacy/Semen Retention.
This is a good start, but modern medical engineering has far more to say about healing the nervous system.
Martial arts, Low Dose Nalxterone, Bioenergetic Feedback, eye movement desentsization
If we can get rid of the fear response we can get rid of the Gamma
I'll give you a counter-argument. Your core SSH is Omega, as is mine. I too have boasted on this site that I've solved the Gamma. I hadn't. The Gamma mentality is narcissism or something like it. He looks in the mirror and sees someone else; and it's only a matter of time until someone else sees it. For 31 years, did you feel like a winner who wasn't getting his due?
I really appreciate it and I hope so lol. I feel like going from Omega straight past Gamma has to be alot easier then Gamma to Delta
The vast majority of the time I did not feel ike a winner who wasn't getting his due. I did feel like that with women to some degree, it perplexed me how much they liked men other then me. I would often get women attracted me before they knew me better, but as time went on they all became disgusted with me in that way, the opposite of what I would have presumed at the time
I would say I have an unsatiable desire to find out why others win and why I lose. I always thought I was better then my circumstances to a degree. Unlike other Gammas, I feel painfully aware of my short comings alot of the time and have addressed many of them. I
The Gamma narcissism is a shield. They feel terrible growing up and they use the shield to protect themselves. If the shield is attacked in any way, even by other people just existing, it causes them to freak out. The increase in Gammas makes me think they are made as much as born. That which is Made can be Unmade to a degree, the core issue why most Gammas can't is their shield is so strong they can't admit there is a problem in the first place.
I spent a good amount of time on this site figuring myself for some sort of well-behaved Gamma. You're unlike other Gammas because you aren't one. Gammas aren't painfully aware of shortcomings by definition.
The Omega ranking rattled me when Vox first mentioned it. It seems to have a bit of consensus on site of being simply a loser. Vox doesn't give a mental mechanism for Omega like the Gamma delusion bubble.
Since an Omega doesn't have a shield, I think they are more readily capable of improvement; provided they haven't fallen into despair. The inability to figure out what separates others' success from your failure also seems Omega to me.
Have you managed more success at this point, or is the pattern continuing?
So in my teen years in had energy but I was obese. Girls would be attracted to me and I'd fuck it up. I had several health conditions that would probably be pretty identifying but lets just say they are very serious and uncurable.
In my early 20s I gave up for a couple of years cause I was still fat and a virgin and i had put in 100 more effort in then everyone else I knew (friends were eating mcdonalds equivalent and i was making tuna alfafa sandwiches)
But I realized I was just going to go into a spiral torwards death. So at 300 pounds I decided to lost weight and get my life back in order.
Reason I am fairly confident in the self up routine is cause it worked for me to a large degree. I was a virgin until 28. For several years I was close to bed ridden with illness. I live on my own, have a girlfriend (like a 2 or 3 but still), work out, pay my bills. So infinitely better then before, but I still have 130 iq+ and fairly gifted, my features are above average. So I want to be doing alot more and I know I could be doing alot more once I have the resources.
I guess me giving up and falling into despair is another omega tell
You've had a hard road and seem to be handling yourself commendably.
I maintained my virginity for a similar timeframe with just the power of autism. In my teens I was 6 feet tall, 145 lbs, blonde hair, blue eyes and played hockey. Only real physical drawback was glasses. I felt almost completely invisible to girls due to undiagnosed Asperger's and bearing a striking resemblance to my popular older brother (lower Alpha, possibly Sigma). The vast majority of my conversations were just some guys and a lot of girls wanting to know my brother's whereabouts (I rarely knew).
I'm glad you've made great strides to improve your life and I hope you realize your ambitions.
There is no innate moral goodness in being high status and in fact the Bible has many warnings for those in high places.
"One’s efforts at self-improvement are not necessarily in vain, and also, a failed attempt is better than a nonexistent one. If nothing else, at least you’ll obtain additional information on what doesn’t work."
The issue before that, it's that no one wants to show humility. The social losers are proud. They don't want to be measured. The point of sedation and distraction is to remove the focus from themselves. Insights of how much they suck, in specifics, that's what they need. And it's the last thing they want to pay attention to in sobriety and humility. It's other people's fault.
Guys talk about how huge their dicks are, and women talk about how great they are with people. The socially successful don't need to talk about themselves, as they spoken for by others.
Its not that difficult to play it cool, trying to force yourself to alpha rank only makes you look like an idiot. Setting aside the ego is key. Gammas should maybe take up zen buddhism?
I'm told a lot of gammas make excellent monks and that type.
This is difficult for me. I know the fractal nature of the hierarchy is correct by observation but I cannot articulate what exactly is happening and therefore there must be a void in my understating of the deeper mechanisms at play. I will give a shot at articulation.
Surely the rapid restructuring of the hierarchy when new higher performance arrivals come do not change core behaviors of individuals. I do not believe that a core-alpha can transform into a core-gamma at the introduction of a higher status alpha. True gamma-hood requires a delusion bubble to be an actual core-gamma which is formed in adolescence to the best of my knowledge. However I suspect what we are observing in an insecure alpha, can come off as gamma behavior not because the alpha has become a gamma but because insecurity is a core behavior trait and identifier of a low status man. The difference I think is important because the alpha suddenly losing significant status to another would be unlikely to shrink into a newly formed delusion bubble, but would in very high probability begin competing to reclaim or re-establish his previous position by all means necessary. Alternatively, I believe the overtaken alpha is much more likely to leave the hierarchy altogether and form a new one than to accept a reduction of status in his local hierarchy. This is because his core Alpha behavior is hardwired neurologically. The bravos would be put into the position of have to choose one Alpha or the other. We do see this all the time.
Ultimately it stands true that of course the hierarchy is fractal existing at several levels simultaneously, but it is also true that core behaviors are well defined, predictable and unlikely to change. An Alpha will probably always be an alpha because he cannot be anything else even if that means exile, or death at the hands of a challenger.
The devil is Alpha compared to humans but Gamma vs God.
The Bible portrays Satan as a snake in his interaction with man. A lying backbiting deceiver. I have never viewed Satan as an alpha.
He efficiently seduced Eve into being his tool to bring down Adam. If he had visited her as a human rather than a snake, they would have easily had an affair. Don’t kid yourself.
I will add to Legionnaire's post that plenty of gammas have also used women to attempt to take down Alphas.
Example: Reid Hoffman is the billionaire who funds Jean Carroll's eternal rape lawsuit against Donald Trump. If you look up Hoffman's picture you'll guess his SSH immediately. In fact here's Hoffman and his wife.
https://shorturl.at/1e4z2
Surely you would not say that this man is an alpha, despite his ability to turn a woman into a weapon against Trump. Likewise just because Satan could turn Eve into a weapon against Adam does not make him necessarily alpha.
I'm pretty sure even Reid Hoffman could seduce an insane old bag like E. Jean Carroll, who wasn’t involved with Trump for many years, if at all.
But Eve in the flower of her youth, with Adam very much in the picture? Seems a bit iffy.
Satan didn't have sex with Eve, and Hoffman probably didn't have sex with Carroll.
The error Eve made wasn't about how chadly Adam vs Satan was, it was about Eve giving into her own desires and Adam not slapping that error down. Even the most turbo alpha is going to have a wife that rebells as we see with Trump's 3 divorces. All women will do that, Satan didn't mind control anyone. There are also many, many stories of women who cheat on their husband for an inferior man for rebellion's sake.
To clarify my point, it's not about the sex, it's about the rebellion. And to add onto that, gammas inspire rebellion against the hierarchy far more than other alphas. It's not like Satan went up to Adam and beat him up in a fistfight and then had sex with an enamored Eve. Deception, turning your desires against you, hiding. There's certainly a reason Satan didn't approach Adam in person, and alphas don't generally operate in such a cowardly manner.
Perceived status is not the same as actual status. If you perceive Satan as an alpha, that is your subjective perception. I am not going to argue with your subjective theological opinion on the SSH of a supernatural being.
Jealousy might drive a lower Alpha into gamma-like behavior.
It's also different when the 'new arrival' Alpha comes in with the whole squad of Bravos like in the cited story than when someone who is characteristically Alpha joins a new group. I've noticed that in the latter such situations the Alphas tend to find a situational Bravo of the group and slowly-surely earn their respect from the situational Alpha instead of trying to play posturing games at higher risk of failure. This is presumably because they respect the position of Alpha and know what it is like to be one and thus are more considerate of the situational expectations any typical Alpha would and should have for newcomers.
I have done some mental experiments thinking about the fractal nature of the SSH, imagining situations that urgently call for someone to take the lead and you only have one same SSH profile on all the men around.
I think one of the best scenarios is a "Lost" kind of thing where a plane falls, nobody knows each other and now has to survive together.
You know that even if they are all gammas, one of them will be the least gamma of the gammas and one of them will be the most. The least gamma is likely to lead, the most gamma is likely to be thrown out of the group given enough time and opportunity to screw things up in any way for the rest of the group.
And then you will have a full SSH hierarchy in that island made of people who outside of it would all be gammas to the rest of the world.
A really unlikely scenario that I thought is funny is if you only have sigmas on the island.
I think only alphas could become violent really quick.
An island of only Gammas sort of describes India. As for only Alphas, I’ve seen joking that this is why Ireland never effectively united against outside invasions.
India is the fail mode of arranged marriage taken to a pathological extreme.
The Big Bang Theory gang is almost a good picture of gammas sorting themselves into a hierarchy.
The one-eyed man is king in the land of the blind.
Is the boat or the plane full of gammas hypothetical? We have TV-shows such as Big Brother, and we could persuade the gammas to go on that trip, if we promised them fame after.
Alphas are the last group to become violent. They're the best at skill with people. The better the players of a team play with each other, the better the team plays.
True Cedric, I played myself on the alpha commentary.
I thought about them becoming violent before they estabilish who will lead as none of them want to follow and all of them want to lead.
How do you think the Alphest Alpha would estabilish his lead with the other alphas?
Verbal sparring would establish who is the most dominant. As Alphas, they also care about their groups back at home who need them, so surviving and getting back to civilization is the priority. A good time for a situational Alpha with the right skillset to take charge.
The SSH is fractal, so you might have one Alpha play the Gamma because ego. Still, survival and duty is going to be a pretty good motivator to play nice and stay alive.
I imagine a good action movie. One of those old ones. Two or more cops, but stranded on an island.
Talented guys high up in ranks, they don't argue who is first, second, third and so on. It's the first thing they need to know. It's on the other side of the SSH, where metrics of performance haunt them. That's where you find a lot of pride.
I don't think Alphas would become violent. One of the differences between groups of men and groups of women in these kind of situations is that men sort themselves into hierarchy relatively quickly. And once established, that hierarchy proves both stable and functional. in terms of multiple Alphas, there's plenty of room within an organization for leadership underneath the "top dog," once he's established.
From the examples I've seen, groups of women in survival situations are predictably dysfunctional, and it seems like that's largely because they don't form a clear hierarchy and never cease from infighting for improved position within the group.
Agreed, I played myself on the last bit about the Alphas, didn't give it a lot of thought as I was just finishing the comment. But I'm happy it sparked the conversation!
I will ask you the same I asked Cedric above, how do you think the Alphest Alpha would estabilish his lead with the other alphas? Because the main point to me is that all of them want to lead and not follow, and one of them has to prove to the others that it is better to follow him.
Regarding the women, 100%.
Unfortunately, I don't feel qualified to speculate on that too much. I'm no Alpha, and A group of 100% Alphas, all strangers to each other, suddenly vying for leadership, is so outside anything I've seen before that it's hard to predict.
The only guess I have is that, at least initially, it would come down to "compliance tests." Different Alphas would figure out what needs to be prioritized and ask others to join them in doing it or to task them to do it. The Alphas who got the most joiners / followers and who could secure the most resources to benefit their followers would then vie for leadership of the group. But that's a WAG on my part.
You can find real life analogies to these sorts of people meeting up. Including but not limited to:
All gammas: The stereotypical D&D group, the discord channel of programmers, online fan groups and wiki sitters.
All alphas: Big sports competitions, a room of self made millionaires, gang leader discussions.
All deltas: Conventions for cars, figurines, models (material), engineering.
All sigmas: I assume specific wings of prison. Maybe the hall of solitary confinement.
Just think of why they would encounter each other, and it's usually brief for a single event.
True enough, and those are some great examples, but in most of the scenarios you describe, the people wouldn't all be strangers, nor would they be tasked to immediately work together to solve the primal, non-negotiable problems of survival.
For funsies, just staple on, "...and then an angry pack of pitbulls charges into the room" for any of the above and think about how it plays out.
I guess gammas aren't able to talk smack. Because that "do you think I'm really an Indian" line was a softball. The first thought that hit me was to laugh and say "How the hell would I know? I'm a white guy. Y'all look alike to us. The only way to tell would be to find out if you prefer cows, goats, or young boys" It's all in the delivery.
The gamma was frightened before the dude ever opened his mouth. There's no way he could ever come up with such a response, much less manage to squeak it out in a tense social situation.
If you are able to do a friendly jab that still shows you are in your place, but that you are fun and don't have a stick up your butt I think alphas can respect that.
The alphas that give me the want to follow them the most usually can take a joke really well, on the right place and time of course, which gammas have trouble sticking to.
It's in the delivery AND the person delivering. A gamma, who fears the dust up, could not say that without getting thrashed. Too much anxiety would cloud the humor making it off putting. Know your audience, yes, but also know yourself (which is kind of the point of the post).
If the time ever comes, someone remind me never to go drinking with this guy.
It takes some "reading the room" and context awareness. There's some guys just looking for a fight, sure, but a joke like that one would work in 95% of situations and the other 5%, nothing would work (except having more and bigger guys in your corner of the ring).
Humor is a great way to defuse a flex. It's my signature move. Usually, there's a pregnant pause as everyone looks at each other, then laughter busts out and you buy the guy a drink. It has to be delivered with a laugh. I suppose a fight could break out, but it never has for me.
And then everyone clapped
As you note, humor works unless it doesn't. Hard to tell, but my suspicion is that the gamma in the story above realized that he was in real danger of a beating and a typical attempt at a joke was not going to work and instead he verbally rolled over on his back.
Situational status can be a hell of a drug. It can warp your perception of yourself. I'm president of a large riding chapter with affiliate chapters around the globe and have become accustomed to a certain amount of deference from large groups of traditionally masculine men. But it only takes about a nanosecond for my status to be altered in the presence of the High Alphas. There's no uncertainty in our sphere about who the top dogs are.
So status is fixed but situationally obscured by the status quo?
Some of the Dagestani pro fighters out here make my most alpha mates from back home look like Delta's yet amongst their group they are still Delta. It's a real eye opener.
Yes. Core behavioural patterns are pretty much fixed, and they are the primary factor in a man's social status in general. We simply are who we are.
However, social status in any specific situation is a combination of who we are + our relative success / power / wealth / skill / fame / seniority.
When multiple Alphas are in the same group, those factors determine who is the Alpha in that setting.
This distinction & overlap between "innate behaviour status" and "measurable markers of success status" is a confusing part of the male SSH, which I daresay SDL will elucidate for the masses.
"Core behavioural patterns are pretty much fixed"
They aren't, it's just most people never achieve the necessary self-awareness, and even if they did, the effort required from theme would be Herculean, if not Sisyphean.
Ensign Dilligaf - OK, sounds like you agree that core behavioural patterns are, in practice, pretty much fixed?
No, I'm saying that changing them is improbable, not impossible.
Ensign Dilligaf - OK, sounds like you agree that core behavioural patterns are, in practice, pretty much fixed, because the probability of change is so low that appropriate comparisons are to legendary heroes and kings numbering one among billions?
"which I daresay SDL will elucidate for the masses"
Highly optimistic given MPAI. But it'll have a useful long term impact as it gets processed and popularized.
SirHamster - MPAI usually gets the last word
It does get super confusing. I think this comment partially answers my next question - what truly makes an alpha, I have some mates from class who are way better fighters than me in the gym but socially shy and awkward and defer to me as the alpha in social situations.
What's SDL?
We are guests in the SDL mountain lair. A friendly reminder good sir is to behave accordingly.
Welcome to the Supreme Dark Lord's citadel!
It's short for Supreme Dark Lord
Our host, Vox Day
Core change IS possible, but in my years of looking into this in some depth, the only 3 reliable things I found to do it are:
1. Guided ONE TIME LSD trip with attending medics/professionals that know what they are doing to make the trip a positive one and the LSD is clean and known quantities used. This is now essentially illegal all around the world but was done on thousands of prisoners in the 60s and 70s in the USA and dropped convict recidivity rate from 85% to less than 25% (from memory).
2. At least 20 years of almost fanatical dedication to a skill, preferably a physical one, but it could be painting, music etc. If you achieve a certain level of mastery, there are intrinsic qualities in any sport that will tend to rub-off on you. Swimmers will tend to be relatively individualistic, but not as much as fencers and martial artists tend to become forgiving of many human weaknesses and can be loyal as well as individualistic, and so on. Even then some core functions remain as definite "colour" or "flavour".
3. Dedication (on the obsessive level is best) combined with hypnosis. This can reduce the time it takes by other means by a LOT, like actual decades, but needs to be supported/followed/and continued by action.
The only other thing that can do it pretty instantly is what they calle a SEE (Significant Emotional Event) Short of being struck by lightning, having a near death experience, or having a Road to Damascus moment these are pretty rare and certainly not predictable/repeatable.
Brother, at the dysfunctional end of things -- and I have too many years working with such -- the things that make a difference are the Spirit of God leading to repentance and time.
I have seen a number of people try ketamine, guided LSD and hallucinogens. I have worked with researchers in these areas, and chose NOT to join their clinical team because the people I was helping had not found solutions there. I was taught hypnosis in my training. We don't have good practitioners here.
Fanatical dedication to a skill can help, but those people are less dysfunctional. Fanatical training means that you have to deal with the iron and the stopwatch. Neither of them lie.
I think with, repentance, discipline, and time you can mature and become a better version of yourself. This is what the old theologians, of course, called sanctification. But you will, to the end of your days, need to discipline your weaknesses, and every part of the SSH has inherent weaknesses.
What results did you observe with the ketamine, guided LSD, hallucinogens? No results, or short-term only?
I live in the Antipodes. Relevant clinical statements, both fairly uptodate.
https://www.ranzcp.org/getmedia/75baa529-2b71-419f-993a-2ff64ede50fe/cm-use-of-ketamine-in-psychiatric-practice.pdf
https://www.ranzcp.org/getmedia/4cfd1fea-171c-43fc-8dab-7b476b3f706c/cm-therapeutic-use-of-psychedelics.pdf
You're right, I think. A couple of weeks ago there was a commenter here at Sigma Game who wrote a fairly lengthy comment detailing how he changed from a Gamma to a successful Delta, with a high paying job, responsibility and a beautiful wife. He didn't really think he had much, if any, Gamma tendencies left in him after 30 years. But my Gamma radar immediately went off on starting to read his comment, and it wasn't just triggered by his finishing touch of stating he nowadays harbors some "Alpha or even Sigma tendencies" (obvious Gamma delusion there!). No, it was something else that convinced me he was a Gamma at core. Not sure exactly what it was though. But, that just goes to show that if a guy can work really hard for 30 YEARS and overcome a lot of bad habits and tendencies, and I can still spot the Gamma in him - it's probably like The Kurgan says that absent any major emotional/traumatic event you're not going to change your core.
I would replace LSD with psylocibin, but yeah, i believe it has the capacity to "flush" or reset things in a way.
It is not a magic pill, I think it is similar to obese people who get the bypass surgery.
You see people who had the surgery get all the weight they lost back a while later because they did not actually deal with the problem. But the surgery gives you a strong start towards the path.
The same way, you can flush your brain with something like that, and you will initially feel renewed for months, like all the dirt in your head got cleaned, but if you stick to the same behaviours as before, it will all come back and be the same.
I've noticed that it's dangerous to measure how much or for how long you have to work. Guys hate girls who do the minimum to catch and trap him in marriage, and girls hate the guys who do enough to get laid. "How little do I have to do, to get what I want and what I feel is mine?!" It's not intrinsic, if you're asking when your deserved salary is coming.
"When will I get results in the gym?" Wrong question. The right questions are, how long time have you gone to the gym, how is your form, and when are you going there again?
Desmond Doss got his medals, his reputation and a movie made about him, because he chose to do the work he chose. Without his belief, he would have been broken so early. But it was he who carried them, despite what they did to him. Doss wasn't looking to get his. He was looking to work and suffer.
Desmond was a clear Delta. At the point where the squad refuses to go out without him, opposed to picking on him in the past, it is like he became indispensable to the team and the length he alone was willing to go in his role gave everyone more confidence to do their role, even higher status guys.
What I take from this is that "Yeah, probably you will be a Delta for the rest of your life. But you can be the best Delta". Become indispensable to your team. Go all out.
Possible. I don't care. My rank or his rank doesn't matter, when it's about doing.
When I think of character, skills and growth, I look at it in a classless way. The skills and how high those skills are, that's what matters. How well you do the sub-skills, that's what matters. How well I do my work, how well I handle other people around me, that's what everyone else ranks me in. You get better at doing it, by doing it.
When I think too much about doing, doing it well, it looks poorly done and I don't like it. I do my best work when I've stopped thinking about. Anxiousness is a mind in the future. Anxious thoughts about making a good impression, it never leads anywhere.
When I am with a younger christian doing something, I don't think about making a good impression as an alpha. I don't have time for that. If I care about him, I'm frustrated with him, myself or both of us, as we do that something together.
Experiencing brutal Truth is incredibly effective but unpredictable in it's results as you say. The more often they happen though the easier it gets to have positive results.
Having witnessed up-close effects of intense hallucinogenic experiences, they usually go one of two ways: it either enhances or obliterates personal delusions. The enhancement allows you just go deeper into the delusion, and it becomes an SSRI for the soul. The fallout from obliteration is where the true test lies.
The "King Authur" response is hilarious.
He'll be feeling that one for years.
He's been a bit sheepish these past few days and a tad more humble
If the British gamma had been a different type, would the Iraqi alpha have reacted differently? How would a sigma handle this situation? Although the post is about the alpha punching down, I'm not sure how a sigma would react in this scenario where punching down is ineffective.
I'm not sure that a Sigma would get the same question. The Alpha would behave as if encountering a fellow Alpha, and start some other kind of dominance testing. Body language is probably where it happens.
A sigma would handle it the same as they always do. Watch, listen, learn. I'm not sure why there's an obsession with engaging in conversation. Anyone know a Sigma that isn't taciturn?
I do. The sigma I know would actually ask where he's from with interest and try to connect it with his own knowledge and experiences to create some immediate social bond. In my experience even if he has to make a guess and be wrong he'd pivot to the Dagestani's correction to let him talk about himself. Maybe he'd get the Dagestani to vent about how people are always getting his country wrong and list off stories about the funniest or most off-base instances. It's hard to say exactly how it'd go beyond that because the Sigma's social agility has continually surpassed my expectations in even the most tense, dramatic or dangerous situations.
Interesting, my first response to the opening salvo of “where am I from” from the *alpha* would be an internal “it didn’t occur to me to care.” I’d likely just look at him and shrug, with mild concern for him that he felt the need to ask the question.
I find Alpha behavior weird at times.
Most of the alphas I have encountered are difficult to deal wirh and tend to lose their entire following every three or five years
Wow, that must suck for them. But hey, if they are good at getting more followers, I’m sure they make it work
Until the SSH I just considered Alphas weird, now they're much easier to relate to.
Yeah, understandable
A better answer to the question would have been "You're from the land of giants". When the hierarchy shifts, shift with it.
Masked Menace - Yep, I would have gone for something like "You're from The Muay Thai Hall of Fame, mate"
Like your response, it's both a compliment & an appropriate joke in that situation, which tends to land well IME.
Not an expert opinion, but the Sigma would not be phased by a big, bad alpha entering the room. I picture him finding an opportune moment to make light conversation with the alpha as if he already knew him.
I agree with this I thought a better response would have been to double down and then laugh it off... "Yeah bro, haha, you guys all look the same to me... Nah I'm just kidding where are you from?"
That would certainly have been a more Delta response. But of course the Gamma - being Gamma - was unable to muster a Delta response.
I am not high status and this is what I naturally do. I just acknowledge their superior status, give value (which they don't need) and then have a pleasant convo with them. What can be tiresome is when the alpha just gets all the attention, shares none and I am an accessory to his experience. Good and pleasant alphas are the ones who elevate you with them such: "This is my good friend." And also take an interest in you. I just try to be a good man and know my place.
Vox has talked about how Sigma best mimics delta when necessary. In this situation, Sigma would have no need to threaten alpha status. Hes there to learn. I suspect the difference would be most apparent during the actual instruction, with the Sigma being sure of himself, and the delta being highly deferential.
"He's there to learn."
Also illustrative of the fact that the Sigma has an adamantine core of self-possession. He sees no threat in the Alpha and hence is no threat himself.
It makes sense. Why care or do more than expected? It's the alpha's guys. Not the sigma's. He is only a babysitter for a while, until the alpha is back again. The closest biological family cares about each other much more than outsiders. I'm an uncle, and I care, but I don't care about my siblings' children as much as they do about their own children.
A very interesting example is in STEM. The high status "engineer" will at times go full gamma when bumping into a real bravo, and at time even a high delta.
As stated, know what you are, strive to be the best you can be. I have been in a bravo role now for a decade. Still want to go back to a solid delta IC role, since the energy I have to burn to do my current role is different then what I am built for.
Great story from the reader. Gammas can also be big, strong, do combat sports, be on steroids, and lead their little groups of low status guys in a situational Alpha role, but when they interact with much higher status men you'll immediately see their true colours.
I guess that Gammas are less common in combat sports; I've known several impressive weightlifters who were very much Gamma - Omega types, yet would automatically be treated as an Alpha by most normal men down the pub.
Low pre-natal T in comparison to higher SSH men may have set their brains to be Gamma before they are born.
I think it's that anyone can play at being any particular role but it's both energy consumptive and highly sensitive to disruption. So an alpha can be a delta but he doesn't get that zest for life, and likewise a delta can be an alpha in a team but he'll go home drained. In their element they go home charged up and satisfied ready for tomorrow.
And they can maintain an unnatural pose in a familiar circumstance but once anything unexpected happens they have no choice but to use their default program. An alpha, best example is Mr. Incredible in 'The Incredibles', can crunch away at a computer like a delta as a routine job but once an unexpected dangerous criminal shows up his instinct is to take charge immediately.
And the delta or gamma may be able to act alpha in a controlled setting but the day a mysterious stranger shows up they flail and fall back on what comes natural. The highlighted story about the Dagestani is perfect to demonstrate that. It could also have been that a redheaded girl walks into a room with the gamma's all male team that's equally disruptive to the alpha act.
Dave - Sure, and I can immediately think of counter examples from my life - social-Alpha guys who love their work-Delta role because it pays well and doesn't distract from their real interests, and social-Delta guys who love being the boss at work because hey, they are the boss for a change!
Gammas are everywhere out here, I think a lot of low weight division and amateur fighters are gamma
Gamma - *muttered under his breath after the alpha has left* whatever you f*kn terrorist.
Now that was funny.
The real power play was to call him Saddam Hussein straight back. Not that the Gamma could come up with such whilst quivering for his life.
Followed by losing his life... or at least conciousness? "Thump!"
Being ready to fight for his status would get Arthur some respect.