From Alpha to Omega: A Guide to the 7 Male Personalities

How pop culture categorizes male personalities

Co-authored by Finn Kobler Reviewed by Seth Hall

Last Updated: September 7, 2024 Fact Checked

If you’ve been online recently, you may have heard phrases like “beta” and “sigma" male tossed around. While these terms may (quite literally) sound like a foreign language (because they're Greek), they’re actually pretty simple monikers that pop culture sites (like Vox, Reddit, and Twitter) use to describe various types of men. There are 7 main personality types, each with its own unique strengths. Keep reading to learn each type of guy’s best traits and careers. By the time you’re done, you’ll have all kinds of nu information (pun intended)!

Things You Should Know

Alpha males are fearless trailblazers who love to be in control while beta males are kind, gentle souls who prioritize personal connections.
Sigma males are rebellious leaders with lots of life experience while delta males are responsible companions who you want by your side.
Zeta males are nonconformist creatives, gamma males are charismatic nomads, and omega males are sharp intellectuals with boundless ideas.
If you want to improve your personality or life, work on being the best version of yourself, instead of pretending to be someone you're not.

1

Alpha Male

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Alpha males are strong-willed leaders who love to take charge. Exuding charm and machismo, they’re known for their natural confidence and exceptional leadership abilities. Anecdotally, alpha males are “the bad boy” of the male ecosystem. They know what they want, never back down from a fight, and aren’t afraid of making waves to obtain their goals.^{[1]
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- Common personality traits: brave, high-achieving, social
- Careers they excel at: CEO, manager, military general, politician
- Examples of alpha males in pop culture: William Wallace from Braveheart, Maverick from Top Gun, Leonidas from 300
- If you’re an alpha male, your will and confidence are admirable. Just get comfortable listening to others and compromising every now and again. Great leaders build great relationships. Learn to meet people where they're at and help them open up to you.

2

Beta Male

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Beta males are extremely kind and down to earth. Shyer and more reserved, beta males value personal relationships over material wealth or career achievements. Pop culture suggests they’re great conversationalists and have a lot of success domestically. They’re often associated with happy, long-term marriages and children that adore them. Betas are communicative, creative, and make great romantic partners.^{[2]
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- Common personality traits: friendly, gentle, selfless
- Careers they excel at: doctor, nurse, social worker, teacher
- Popular beta male characters: Sam from Game of Thrones, Phil from Modern Family, Ben from Parks & Recreation
- If you’re a beta male, you have no issue creating meaningful friendships. But remember that you deserve just as much as you give. Be cautious of people taking advantage of you and don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself if you feel slighted.

3

Gamma Male

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Gamma males are the life of the party. Equally creative and adventurous, they’re often portrayed as fun-loving men of culture. They love to travel and believe their purpose in life is to have fun, rich, fulfilling experiences (ideally in exotic locations). Loud and bombastic, they’re constantly on the move and can create powerful friendships wherever they go.^{[3]
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- Common personality traits: adventurous, fun-loving, goofy
- Careers they excel at: actor, event coordinator, pilot, travel agent
- Popular gamma male characters: Joey from Friends, Tom from Parks & Recreation, Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby
- If you’re a gamma male, your adventures are probably life-changing, but give yourself time to settle down every once in a while. Staying still provides clarity and focus and, since you can create fun wherever you go, you don’t need to always be moving to enjoy yourself.

4

Delta Male

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Delta males are very responsible and keep the world moving. Highly adaptable, deltas are known for their competence and work ethic rather than their leadership and ambition. Delta males love learning new skills for the sake of improving themselves, not for power or extrinsic successes. Because of this, they often have a very healthy work-life balance. They’re dependable and unpretentious. Every male friend group benefits from delta males.^{[4]
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- Common personality traits: hardworking, loyal, responsible
- Careers they excel at: accountant, dentist, engineer, firefighter
- Popular delta male characters: Mike from The Middle, Jim from The Office, Higgins from Ted Lasso
- If you’re a delta male, your work often speaks for itself. People trust you, so consider being more proactive and taking initiative at work; you’ll be rewarded for it and won’t necessarily need to be in the spotlight.

5

Zeta Male

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Zeta males are one-of-a-kind progressives. There’s a reason the zeta male is the least talked about personality type in pop culture. They’re rare nonconformists who don’t care what other people think. They know themselves and refuse to change to fit into the rigid social standards of society. Zeta males are fierce creatives who blaze new paths for themselves and others.^{[5]
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- Common personality traits: creative, independent, self-aware
- Careers they excel at: actor, artist, musician, writer
- Popular zeta male characters: John Keating from Dead Poets Society, Cam from Modern Family, Augustus from The Fault in Our Stars
- If you’re a zeta male, your ability to march to the beat of your own drum is inspiring. Work on communicating your ideas more effectively. People want to hear your unique POV and the easier it is to understand, the more you’ll change their minds for the better.

6

Sigma Male

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Sigma males are confident mentors who play by their own rules. They have all the confidence of alphas, but aren’t interested in power or social status. They have enough life experience to follow their own moral compass and spend their time helping other people discover their inner power. Sigma men’s natural wit, intuition, and sense of persuasion earn them the respect of their peers (though they’re comfortable enough in themselves not to need it).^{[6]
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- Common personality traits: bold, nurturing, wise
- Careers they excel at: entrepreneur, philosopher, professor, therapist
- Popular sigma male characters: Ferris Bueller from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, Hawkeye from M*A*S*H
- If you’re a sigma male, you likely have most of life figured out, but your transgressive lifestyle might feel lonely. Remind yourself to spend time with friends or connect with other sigmas who understand your approach to life.

7

Omega Male

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Omega males are skilled introverts who don’t need external validation. Pop culture portrays them as the shyer, more reserved yin to the zeta male’s yang. They’re independent and very comfortable in their own company. They’d rather spend time coming up with (usually brilliant) new ideas and inventions of their own instead of socializing with others. They have uncouth but delightful senses of humor and their theories often change the world for the better.^{[7]
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- Common personality traits: self-motivated, strategic, quiet
- Careers they excel at: chemist, composer, inventor, mathematician
- Popular omega male characters: Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory, Bran from Game of Thrones, Sherlock Holmes from Sherlock
- If you’re an omega male, your ideas are likely ingenious. Spend some of your thinking time cultivating healthy relationships, too.

8

Keeping Perspective

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Try to be your best self instead of turning into someone you're not. For example, instead of trying to transform into an alpha when it's not your style, play to your strengths while brushing up on your weaknesses. Try to become a better version of the man you already are.
- Set specific goals if you're working on self-improvement. "Be more sigma" is vague. "I'm going to fight negative self-talk" or "I'm going to improve my listening skills" give you direction.
- Sometimes, people focus too much on whether a man is dominant. But traits like listening, humility, helpfulness, and emotional intelligence are important for your success in work, romance, and more.^{[8]
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Don't take these personality types too seriously. Much like horoscopes or MBTI, they're an idea people came up with to create broad categories of people.^{[10]
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- Don't idolize or devalue certain personalities. There are alphas who destroy their own lives due to their egos, rudeness, and excessive risk-taking. And don't overlook the well-adjusted omegas who succeed at work, enjoy loving and healthy romantic relationships, and lead fulfilling lives.
- Some far-right online spaces push the idea of a rigid social hierarchy and use it to promote victimizing, misogynistic views.^{[12]
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  Research source} Don't fall down any toxic rabbit holes. Focus on the type of life that feels right for you.
Did You Know? The idea of "alpha," "beta," and other wolves came from observing stressed wolves in captivity. In their natural habitat, the monogamous parents lead the pack and fights for dominance are rare to nonexistent.^{[13]
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Men are diverse with different attitudes, skills, experiences, and preferences. One Greek letter isn't nearly enough to understand someone. The best way to get to know someone is by listening to them.