So lets say there is some big shot alpha male acting all big and shit, then there is someone who doesent care about the alpha male trying to be all alpha, but just finds it amusing, laughs at him(understanding it, but not caring if it hits the alpha males ego and makes him angry) and doesent take the alpha male seriously in any way(which will most likely piss off the alpha male and making him try to act bigger, which is just met with more amusement and looking down on the alpha male).
So which is the real alpha male?
Alpha Male is a useless term, partly because it means so many different things to different people. Among animals, where the term originated from, the alpha is the leader of the pack. Likewise, among humans, it's not about specific personality traits as much as having followers. The leader of a book club may have a very different personality than the leader of a death squad. Even in high school with all of its various cliques, oftentimes, leaders emerge within those individual groups. Some people might view certain cliques as more elite than others (jocks vs nerds) but that's really subjective. There is no defined social hierarchy in high school; just people who do their own thing or follow others who do. In a civilized society which elects its officials, the qualities of an effective leader are probably not the same qualities that a leader would possess in a less civilized society where mobs are violently rivaling for power. Being a leader doesn't mean that a person is necessarily a good leader either. History is rife with evil and/or incompetent leaders who led their nations to ruin.
Though certain personality traits are often associated with being
alpha, such as confidence, it's not necessarily true. In many cases, the psychological need to control others or be viewed as a leader is compensating for a lack of self-contentment. Hitler is a good example of this. His messiah complex was a result of deep-seated insecurities. The man's ability to ascend from a starving artist who was impoverished, homeless and suicidal, unable to provide for his own basic needs, to becoming the leader of a vast military and political regime was the result of a carefully crafted persona. He was one of the most
alpha males of the 20th century, but he hardly had a healthy self-esteem or any legitimate sense of self-worth.