What is a Delta Male? Personality Traits & More

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Defining delta male within the male social hierarchy

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: August 4, 2024 Fact Checked

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Delta Male Definition

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Characteristics

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Benefits

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Delta Male vs Alpha Male

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Delta Male vs Sigma Male

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Video

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Tips

You might be familiar with alpha males, beta males, or even sigma males—but what about delta males? This addition to the male personality types hierarchy is thought to be one of the most common types of men, often described as the backbone of society. Curious to learn more about delta males? Keep reading to learn their characteristics and how they compare to the other male personality types.

Things You Should Know

Delta males are described as responsible, hard-working men who are comfortable blending in with a crowd.
Pop culture describes delta males as craving respect, but not caring about being leaders or getting recognition for their hard work.
In their personal lives, delta males are often described as family men who have loving partners and children.

Section 1 of 5:

What is a delta male?

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A delta male is described as a responsible man who takes pride in his work. Often described in pop culture as a “normal guy,” a delta male is thought to be one of the most common types of men. They are believed to contribute to society by showing up to work on time and taking pride in their job. They're said to love to learn new skills in order to contribute more, and it's thought that they typically have very thriving home lives with loving families.^{[1]
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- Need an example? Think of characters like Jim from The Office or Higgins from Ted Lasso. These men are hardworking and dependable, but don’t necessarily need to be in the spotlight.

Section 2 of 5:

Delta Male Characteristics

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Hard working. Delta males are often portrayed as the backbone of society. Pop culture says that they clock into work every day, do their best at their job, and head home knowing that they’ve given their all that day.^{[2]
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- The examples many people look toward to describe delta males are firefighters, engineers, accountants, and government workers.
A delta male is considered to be good at what they do and confident about their skills. It's thought that delta men can tackle anything their boss throws at them.^{[3]
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Natural follower. According to the male hierarchy stereotype, alpha males may yearn for the spotlight, but delta males are different. They’re described as totally okay with hanging out backstage and letting other people take the lead. Even if they never get to be in charge or take point on something, society says they’ll be okay with it.^{[4]
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- This may be because they’re shy or reserved, or it may be because they’ve been leaders in the past and didn’t enjoy it.
Delta males are described as hard-working, but they are also described as great family men. Pop culture describes them as great fathers with little trouble finding a long-term partner. While delta males are often portrayed as hard-workers, they are also portrayed as people who value a work-life balance.
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Desires respect. While delta men are often portrayed as not being leaders, it doesn’t mean they don’t want respect. Delta males are portrayed as working hard at what they do, and most of them are believed to want respect to go along with it.^{[5]
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- This can be something as simple as a “good job” from their boss or coworkers.
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Possibly resentful. Pop culture often describes a delta male as blaming other people for his problems instead of looking inward. However, many self-described delta males reject this definition, and instead focus on the good aspects, like being a hard worker.^{[6]
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- For instance, maybe his first girlfriend cheated on him, and now he has trust issues. Instead of seeing a therapist and processing his emotions, he might hold onto those trust issues and cause new problems in new relationships.
- Worried you might fit into this stereotype? Work on letting go of grudges to focus on moving forward.
Delta males are described as great adapters, and society may not view them as delta males forever. If they are motivated enough, delta males can become leaders and transform into alpha males, at least according to pop culture. And if they turn inward and embrace their introverted side, the social hierarchy says that they can cross into gamma or omega male territory.

Section 3 of 5:

Benefits of Being a Delta Male

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Pop culture says that delta males often live comfortably, buying land or a home relatively quickly. They are portrayed as hard workers who take pride in their jobs until they’re able to kick back and relax during retirement.
If having a family is your goal, then society says you might just be a delta male. Delta males are often described as having no trouble on the dating scene, and pop culture says they can settle down and have children fairly quickly.

Section 4 of 5:

Delta Male vs Alpha Male

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It's said that alpha males lead, while delta males get the work done. If an alpha male is described as the CEO, delta males are described as the managers and workers beneath him. They may not be in charge or willing to lead, but they’ll definitely do their job to the best of their abilities. Alpha males need delta males in order to reach their goals, so society says they work well together.
- Alpha males love to get recognition for their hard work, which is described as less important to delta males.

Quiz

wikiHow Quiz: Am I a Sigma Male?

Loyal, cunning, independent and strong, Sigma is the lone wolf of the male hierarchy. They’re mysterious, but dependable. Silent, but intelligent. A true friend, but a friend to few. Sigmas are a rare breed, but could you be among their ranks? To discover your place within the male hierarchy, take this quiz.

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What’s your biggest strength?

I’m not afraid to march to the beat of my own drum.

I’m great at following orders.

I succeed at school (either in sports, school, or both).

I’m charismatic—no one can resist my smooth talking.

Section 5 of 5:

Delta Male vs Sigma Male

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It's believed that sigma males reject the hierarchy, while delta males thrive within it. Sigma males tend to shun the hierarchy and create their own rules, at least according to the definition from the male social hierarchy. On the flip side, delta males are described as recognizing that they need the hierarchy in order to reach their goals. While sigma males may lag behind in the workforce, delta males are believed to use the rules of society to propel themselves forward.
- For instance, if a sigma male and a delta male are working at the same job, a delta male is more likely to meet their deadlines and get a promotion (or so the theory goes). This is because delta males care about what their leaders think of them, while sigma males don’t.