Do you think the status of alpha is important?
I wanna play!
Depends on what your goals are, and I still don't feel like the definition has been nailed down, nor do I think it will be. Closer though. Interesting topic.
I mean, part of being "Alpha" IS status. So, in that regard, absofreakin' lutley.
If we're using the most positive definition (not 'roided out frat boy) say...this definition:
An Alpha is the leader of the pack.
There is no Alpha without the pack.
And there is no pack without the pack mentality.
So it is social psychology that determines an Alpha.
Which is a pretty damn good one, IMO, if you are a beta wolf getting just the scraps, you're going to continue to be weak and beta. That's your status, malnourished, mostly shunned, but we let you hang out cuz we could use the numbers in our pack, and you're too weak and a weenie to go off on your own.
Like mole said, there IS no Alpha if you're by yourself or have zero friends to call up for whatever. But you're also not Beta. You're a lone wolf.
"Some wolves will simply remain lone wolves; as such, these lone wolves may be stronger, more aggressive and far more dangerous than the average wolf that is a member of a pack. However, lone wolves have difficulty hunting, as wolves’ favorite prey, large ungulates, are nearly impossible for a single wolf to bring down alone. Instead, lone wolves will generally hunt smaller animals and scavenge carrion.[1]"
""Dispersers" are wolves who leave a pack; these lone wolves will sometimes find a mate and start a new pack."
So those two facts were pretty interesting to me.
Humans operate very similar. Hell, you'll get people on this forum (myself included) that feel like they have poor status and just need to leave and start over.
And sometimes, that IS the best solution.