It’s all Greek to me: personality
types, relationships and compatibility
Laaleen Khan
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/8168/alpha-male-beta-female-which-one-are-you/
In the animal
kingdom, it’s the aggressive Alpha male of the pack that entices females in
heat for procreation purposes. In other words, the rest of the males just don’t
get any. Among humans, however, things have become a little more complex since
the Neanderthal era, despite romantic fiction convincing readers that Alpha heroes
reflect women’s ideals. In recent mass-market fiction, even Alpha heroes are
required to develop modern-day Beta characteristics, like heightened
sensitivity and emotions, thanks to the influence of the female heroine in the
novel who ‘tames’ her man. But it isn’t always the case in the real world, such
as in the case of a high powered modern woman who doesn’t need ‘rescuing.’ For
her, Prince Charming may very well appear in the form of a relaxed Gamma,
prepared to take the back seat or even be a stay-at-home dad in her castle.
Are women and
men necessarily as different as Venus and Mars? Not necessarily; according to popular
classifications based on the Greek alphabet, we have more in common with our
corresponding personality types in the opposite sex than we do with other
categories within our own gender! However, men and women from the same categories
often clash in relationships because they are too similar; for instance, two alphas may make a great match, but there’s
also a power-struggle going on—a war waiting to happen. Similarly, opposite
personality types are often strongly attracted to each other’s differences,
whose personalities may conflict once the honeymoon period is over for
‘irreconcilable differences’ (the most commonly cited reason for divorce among
celebrities).
Realistically,
most people fall under hybrids of two or more categories, which further divide
into various other classifications (it’s enough to fill an encyclopedia but
this is just a blog entry so we won’t go there). Personality types can also
change over the course of one’s life: a man could start out as a high powered
Alpha athlete, executive or politician and end up a depressed, unemployed Omega
later in life. Interested? Read on and share your own theories in the comment
area below.
Type
Alpha: Self assured, enterprising,
outgoing.
Alpha Male
Also referred
to as a ‘bad boy’ or ‘leader of the pack,’ this confident, aggressive, macho
guy may be self centred, sexist, demanding and difficult to work with despite
possessing charisma both in his personal life and at work. He can be attractive without having to be good-looking
and usually has his pick of women to date
or marry. Although he enjoys being chased, he finds it refreshing to be the one
to do the chasing (i.e. hunting). Enterprising and outgoing, his pre-marital
relationships tend to be very brief. Women do not get much comfort or support
from a typical Alpha male; and the women who cheat on their non-Alpha partners
usually do so by having affairs with Alpha men, like James Bond.
Alpha Female
Alpha females abound in any Angelina Jolie movie
(her kick-ass characters and her bad-ass self). A super confident female who
doesn’t appear to need men, Alpha women are the queen bees of their cliques,
whether in social groups, school or college. They easily dominate other women
and can be aggressive, bossy, and sarcastic in their competitive, high-powered
careers, including political (Margaret Thather, Benazir Bhutto). They are
usually sexy even when they aren’t conventionally beautiful, and don’t get
intimidated around men. They may lack sensitivity and sympathy towards others
and aren’t scared of making the first move when it comes to their romantic
interests. They normally get what they want: even other Alpha males rarely
reject them. Alpha women are thought to have cold, controlling personalities
that aren’t very nurturing or relaxed.
Type
Beta: Moderate, Reserved, and Collaborative
Beta Male
Betas are reserved, responsible and moderate: your
average Mr. Nice Guy, nothing spectacular but likeable enough. Most modern men
are Betas; they’re more sensitive, less aggressive, and better read than
Alphas. They are easily nervous or embarrassed and play wingmen to their more
suave Alpha friends. Betas make good
friends and roommates, as they’re considerate and somewhat idealistic. Beta men
are the least threatened by women who are more powerful or intelligent than
them. A Beta man tends to be introvertive
and kind of nerdy while growing up. Thoughtful by nature, women may consciously
choose Beta men as better husband material, especially if they’ve been hurt by
Alphas. However, they usually like Beta men as friends rather than fall in love
with them.
Beta Female
Beta women make
great BFFs. They’re usually the
imperfect Bridget Jones type characters we root for in movies. Beta women tend
to be passive aggressive and can get annoyingly obsessed with their crushes.
They are nurturing, insecure about their looks, and want to be pursued by the
guys they like. If this doesn’t happen, they are nervous about competing with
other women and often end up lonely or with their second or third choice in a
mate.
Type
Omega: Neurotic, Laid Back, Eccentric
Omega Male
In popular culture, Omega men feature mainly
in comedy movies like the overweight, unemployed video gamer in Knocked Up, the dork who literally seduced
an American Pie, and most Ben Stiller
movies. An Omega guy has nerdy habits, like collecting comic books or being a
Trekkie, and lives blissfully in his own world. He is immature, irresponsible,
lacks ambition and is easily picked on. In high school movies, he always lusts
after an Alpha female and ends up getting her (they’re movies after all), only
to reject her for his Beta best friend whom he hadn’t previously noticed. Among
a group, the Omega guy is the least likely to take an initiative and is
generally the lowest on the chain of command. Exaggerated metrosexuals and effete intellectuals may be Omegas too. Women generally find Omegas
unattractive. As husbands, they are often happily reliant on their wife’s
incomes and don’t help much around the house either.
Omega Female
The lead
characters from the movies, Bridemaids,
Welcome to the Dollhouse and She’s
All That (before the makeover) are all Omegas. They tend to be lazy,
untidy, unattractive, have low self esteem, have dismal personal lives and are unambitious
and unsuccessful in their careers. They could really benefit from a makeover in
terms of style as well as life coaching skills and deserve sympathy.
Type
Gamma: Restless, adventurous, fun
Gamma Male & Female
Adventurous, restless, fun-loving Gammas like
to do their own thing and create their own rules without giving in to peer
pressure. Alphas may mature into Gammas and become more considerate, socially
conscious and relatively diplomatic than before. Gammas are aware of their needs and natures as well
as those of the opposite sex. They demonstrate
quintessentially feminine behaviors, values and expectations to win their
partners’ trust and love. Gammas generally appear to lack assertiveness, freely
demonstrate their emotions and aren’t very interested in status symbols and
attaining popularity. They tend to put their family and community before their
own ambitions. On TV, many characters from comedies like The Office, 30 Rock, Parks & Recreation and Glee are obvious Gamma types.
Type
Delta: Aloof, Marginalised, Resentful.
Delta Male & Female
Deltas are withdrawn, private, and to some
extent, disaffected. Deltas are often ‘has beens’ who were confident, successful,
popular Alphas in their youth. The lowest rung in the hierarchy of
personalities, Deltas tend to be subordinates who are ostracized by society.
Type
Sigma: Sardonic, Outsiders, Baffling.
Sigma Male & Female
Sigmas are outsiders
to the social game, yet manage to win at it anyhow, confusing everyone else in
the process. They are also adept at socially challenging and ridiculing Alphas,
to their infuriation. Sigmas tend to be contemptuous towards the opposite sex,
even if they desire them.
