Alpha males aren’t the only archetypes who reflect women’s ideals. At least not anymore.
In all honesty, the best combination to determine a mature masculinity is a variety of personality types you can blend into your personality.
Read more about the five male archetypes and find out which one you are.
1. Alpha Male Personality
Qualities: Self Confident, Outgoing & Enterprising
The alpha male personality type can go with the alias ‘bad boy’ and alpha males are usually the men who need their men to be men!
He’s the macho guy, who exudes confidence with a bit of aggression, who is outgoing and demanding and very sexist! That in no way means he objectifies women, but he knows for a fact he can get any woman he wishes to.
He’s a little tough to work with because his ego skyrockets anytime he’s proven wrong. But he makes up for that through his charming personality.
2. Beta Male Personality
Qualities: Collaborative & Introvert
Your average ‘Mr. nice guy’ is the perfect beta male. He’s quite moderate in his approach to life and his nice guy personality gets him by. He gets taken for a ride now and then because of that, but generally, he’s quite likable.
The beta male is more sensitive and less aggressive than an alpha male and a lot more grounded. They take criticism well and show better collaborative skills.
The beta male was really quiet while in school, a bit nerdy and was probably bullied a little. They just grew up to be light-hearted, emotional nice guys, who are also a bit idealistic!
Women usually prefer beta males to alpha for a life partner, especially if an alpha has broken her heart. Obviously, she’ll go for the nice guy, who won’t break her heart.
3. Omega Male Personality
Qualities: Eccentric, Kinda Nerdy & Laid Back
So, every Ben Stiller movie you’ve seen, shows a great example of an Omega male. He may be a collector of something like coins, comic books, insects or even video games. He’s highly laid back and lazy and acts like he hasn’t a care in the world.
He’s immature to an extent, irresponsible and lacks ambition. He was also picked a lot in school or college because of his aloof behavior most times.
Omegas are very highly intelligent beings without really acting on that. They lack enough ambition to do something about their intelligence. They can solve a complicated math problem while eating a pizza and aren’t really concerned about anything else.
They can be lazy husbands who rely on their wife’s income and don’t lift a finger to help her with house chores.
4. Gamma Male Personality
Qualities: Adventurous, Fun-Loving & Restless
Gamma males love having fun and don’t shrug off their responsibilities at the same time. They’re adventurous and tend to get very restless if they’re left idle for too long.
It’s possible an alpha male might mature into a gamma male, because gamma males are a more refined version of alpha.
They’re sensitive towards the opposite sex and very aware of the needs of what women truly want. They do anything they can to fulfill their partner’s needs. Women are lucky to have a gamma male in their life.
They also display a certain amount of feminine behaviors, expectations and values to win their partners heart. They love putting their family first, in any given situation and scenario.
5. Delta Male Personality
Qualities: Aloof, Resentful & Private
Delta males were once alpha or even gamma then perhaps experienced a tragedy at some point. Then quietly resigned to their fate and withdrew completely.
Extremely private people, deltas are aloof, with an ‘I really couldn’t care less’ attitude and are often resentful towards something or other. They’re not very welcome at social gatherings due to this and are often lonely.
A Delta male might attract someone with similar characteristics because if not, their partner will find them extremely boring and dull. They could still change.
What Are The 5 Male Archetypes?
The Greeks came up with a flawless alphabetical system which enabled science to put men and women under certain personality types, so they could attract each other through that. Like an alpha personality male is best suited for a beta personality female.
Humans developed, calculated and measured correctly for us to find our life partners. But in order to do that, it’s imperative for you to figure out what your personality type is.
Studying the male archetypes will help you determine which one you resonate with the most in your own life.
- Alpha
- Beta
- Sigma
- Delta
- Gamma
In relationships you’ll understand your male partner much better and you might also find out which archetype you’re most attracted to.
Male Archetype Definition
In a literary context, an archetype is defined as an image, plot pattern or character type that occurs frequently in literature.
The term “archetype” derives from psychology. Carl Jung developed the idea of the “collective unconsciousness,” or a shared primal memory of the human race. Archetypes signify patterns of behavior that follow characters that we all have an understanding of.
This theory might explain ideas ranging from human “intuition” to the recurrence of familiar stories and characters developing independently around the globe.
Some of Jung’s most influential archetypes include the animus (the “feminine side” of the male), the anima (the “masculine side” of the female), like the King archetype to the Queen archetype, the Wise Old Man, and the “Shadow”—or the “dark side” we all have but often refuse to acknowledge.
As an example of how archetypes show a deep-set pattern in our thinking, consider specific archetypes of wise old men classic characters from our modern mythology like:
- Old Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Yoda
- Gandalf
- Dumbledore
They can trace all the way back to Greek Mythology (Tiresias and Mentor) and yet further back in time.
See the shadow side of these characters:
- Voldemort to Harry Potter
- Gollum to Frodo
- Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker.
What Are Sigma Males?
A Sigma Man is a man unto himself. They are the lone wolves or the mysterious men who travel across the globe by themselves.
This specific archetype appears to be getting more attention these days. And, no, they aren’t males who were just keeping themselves entertained because of the terrible outbreak.
They’ve always marched to the sound of their own drumbeat. Their lives remain unaffected by the movements of others around them.
Most people divide men into two categories: Alpha males and Beta males.
However, not every guy fits into one of these two categories. Then what is the sigma male meaning?
The sigma man infiltrates a distinct social dominant categorization with distinct personality types, putting it in a socio-sexual category all its own.
You’ll get to know him better by looking at his personality features.
Sigma males always have their own set of rules that make them happier in all circumstances. Here are the most important sigma male traits:
1. Loners:
It’s not that Sigma guys dislike social company. Instead, it indicates they don’t always require other people in order to have a great time.
2. Mysterious Person:
The Sigma man is entirely mysterious, and he hardly speaks. He has a strong personality that he shows occasionally before returning to his world. This behavior inspires the interest of the opposite gender.
3. Their Life Is The Major Priority:
Sigma men are particular about their habits, and nothing irritates them more than a dominating individual. They do not adapt to the expectations of others and sigmas will only change if they genuinely want to.
4. Good Listeners:
Sigma males are good listeners that won’t impose their opinions, judgements or solutions on you. They are capable of just fully listening when that’s all you need.
5. More Personal Space:
Sigma guys demand a lot of personal space to fulfill their desire to study and succeed. They might make drastic adjustments, such as disappearing, to pursue their dream. Sigmas don’t let anything get in their way.
6. The Rule Breaker:
The Sigma man is a rule-breaker who defies convention. While the alpha male wields strength by creating standards, the sigma male wields power by defying sigma male rules for themselves.
This is not because they dislike the alpha male; rather, they exhibit total disrespect for the rules of hierarchy.
7. The Risk Takers:
Sigmas seldom break from established professional and personal routes and rarely choose the trodden road.
They detest social institutions and cages and want to break free and pursue their own interests. They also accept the dangers that come with such a decision.
8. Confident Introverts:
Sigmas dislike being in the spotlight. They have a reserved nature and prefer to spend their time alone. Although sigma men are generally overlooked, they are equally as confident as the alpha male. The only thing that distinguishes them is alphas’ extraversion.
9. Curious Mind:
The Sigma male has an extremely inquisitive mind. He’s constantly looking for new experiences and knowledge.
His insatiable curiosity keeps him on his toes, and his mind is always hungry for fresh views and information. This can appear to be a highly appealing characteristic to his admirers.
What Are The Masculine And Feminine Archetypes?
Carl Jung, was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology, suggested our personalities were shaped by what he termed ‘archetypes’; the ‘building blocks’, or patterns in personality, derived from our shared human history.
There are four universal thought patterns that make up four archetypes, each of the core masculine and feminine. Three of each of the personality types are the “power archetypes” – those which we must understand and incorporate in our adult life.
Two particularly powerful archetypes are the ideas of masculine and feminine, the animus and anima.
They represent a polarity of characteristics which may be associated with the sexes, but which may be present in both men and women in different ways and to a different degree. Human beings of both sexes carry the images of male or female traits to some degree.
Thomas Moore and mythologist Douglas Gillette adopted and extended Jung’s approach in their exploration of the four masculine archetypes by using the collective unconscious major archetypes of:
- the King Archetype
- the Warrior Archetype
- the Magician Archetype
- the Male Lover Archetype
Obviously those four mature masculine archetypes can be translated and mapped in female clusters of virtues, specific attributes associated with four archetypes holding major space in the female collective unconscious:
- the Queen Archetype
- the Mother Archetype
- the Wise Woman Archetype
- the Female Lover Archetype
Related: Traits Delta Male Test And How To Change
The Five Male Archetypes Test
Of the five masculine archetypes, which one do you think you are?
- Alpha
- Beta
- Sigma
- Delta
- Gamma
They correlate well with the Jungian mature masculine archetypes:
- Warrior: Dedication and action
- Wizard: Knowledge and wisdom
- Father: Nurturing and providing
- Lover: Sensual and present
- Sovereign: Harmonious and strategic
Here’s a graphic description to find out which one you are: Pinterest
7 Masculine Archetypes
In the western nations the press frequently demonizes men and paints men as devils, rapists, oppressors and all manner of despicable shadow-masculine characters.
Most men would not fit into any such category, and yet most men have never read nor seen an essay about the sacred nature of men, while reports of rape, murder and men oppressing women can be read any day of the week in the newspaper.
Here we’ll shed some light on the divine nature within men.
1. Wild Man – Muladhara
The root of a man. You might call his personality the deep limbic brain. He embodies that part of a man that acts most like an animal, feels most closely tied to the earth, and most in touch with nature.
He represents pure instinct, reacts quickly and decisively, and often reacts “without thinking.” Also, he represents a man who acts wild, untamed, and free to do anything.
2. Lover and Inventor – Swadisthana
The Inventor sees new ways of looking at things. Nothing is impossible to him, just obstacles to be overcome. He can invent his way out of any problem. He loves to think and to ponder over the universal and personal situations.
The Lover might seem contrary to the mix here, but like the Inventor is filled with ecstatic and creative energy. He has passion, libido, and embodies sexual love and intimacy. He loves passionately, creatively and from eros rather than agape.
3. Warrior – Manipura
The Warrior seeks to conquer injustice. He sits on a seat of honor. His ideals guide his actions; an inner spiritual war against his shadow self more than an outer war against the society.
He fights an outer war only to bring justice to others, and seeks to conquer the manifestation of his Shadow self in the real world.
The Warrior never fights an unjust battle, and never does battle against a weaker opponent. The Warrior seeks diplomacy over battle whenever possible.
4. King – Anahata
The King loves deeply with fierce commitment, but this is agape, in contrast to the Lover. He loves all people with the same kind of brotherly love as we think of when we consider men like Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr.
He loves and embraces men and women as his brothers or sisters, and honors them as equals to him. He loves the earth, moon and the stars.
He infuses those in his domain with this powerful trait, and sees it as his mission to uplift the lives in his community.
He often acts as a great and natural leader or orator for other people, especially those men, women and children within his own community.
5. Trickster or Orator – Vishuddha
He is much like the Trickster of the Native Americans (Coyote, Raven, Rabbit, etc). The Trickster plays his games with others to make them think and to inspire them.
Sometimes he only acts funny to amuse people, but most of the time his humor has a point. Ironically perhaps, men’s ability to speak, to convince and to argue is primarily rooted in the Trickster.
Politicians, in particular, have a particularly strong manifestation of the Trickster, and thus their speech and actions are often filled with half-truths.
6. Magus or Sage – Ajna
The Magus sits upon the seat of male spiritual strength. Popular mythical characters who represent the Magus or Sage might be Gandalf or Obi Wan Kenobi. Old and wise; he exists outside of time, and he’s empowered by manifested light.
He acts as an alchemist and he knows the symbolic representation of his goal to turn his shadow into light.
He seeks to transform his world to a golden world of magical beings infused with spiritual empowerment. He may be able to see into the future, and has a powerful intuition.
7. Prophet – Sahasrara
The Prophet represents the highest spiritual aspects of a man. He is wise and powerful.
Unlike the Magus, he has no need to do anything. Like Buddha or Christ, he has attained enlightenment. There is no need to do anything, but only a need to be.
The Prophet is awake, and aware. He sees the truth of all things.
Male Archetypes In Literature
Archetypes are all about personality and motivation. Many stories have brought in some of the traditional, established characteristics of specific archetypes as believable characters.
If you modernize the qualities of the Greek gods, you can see how they might transfer over into the characters of your favorite stories.
1. The Protector (Ares):
He’s all about being physical, spontaneous, impulsive. He will act first and think later. He wants to win, and he’s fiercely protective.
He fears being constricted, bored, having to use his mind over body. He’s motivated by survival, and the extreme of this character can be violent, yearning to fight, with a poor self-image and bad temper.
2. The Businessman (Apollo):
He’s entrenched in his career, planning his life, competing, and success. He fears failure in the workplace and getting too intimate. He keeps an emotional distance, afraid of rejection.
The extreme of this character tends to feel betrayed, wants revenge, is viciously competitive, and uses people.
3. The Recluse (Hades):
He wants to be left alone, shuns others. He’s afraid of crowds, his emotions, of spinning out of control. His motivation comes from his need to understand himself and his world.
In extreme, this type of man is antisocial, psychotic, terrified of rejection, intimidating, and shuns all affectionate relationships.
4. The Fool (Hermes):
This guy is a free spirit, seeking freedom, reckless adventures, often an eternal child. He can also be very positive in his childlike, accepting ways.
He fears losing his freedom, getting bored, being committed to relationships or deals. His motivation stems from the need to know and the desire to try everything.
The extreme of this character is seen in the con man, one who hates authority, is self-absorbed, disregards law and propriety, and lacks empathy.
Related: Traits Gamma Male Test And How To Change
5. The Lady’s Man (Dionysus):
He’s all about sex, romance, flirting, and pleasure. Physical satiation above all else. He fears losing appeal, losing his youth and virility, and avoids commitment or feeling trapped.
He’s motivated by a deep need for love and acceptance, or a drive to win or seek fleeting pleasures to give him a sense of fulfillment. The extreme of this archetype can be possessive, abusive, disloyal, and explosive.
6. The Messiah (Osiris):
This archetype is all about the empowerment of the male personality, and the male psyche. He’s concerned with healing the soul more than the body.
He fears failure of his quest or purpose, being misunderstood or not taken seriously. He’s motivated by his desire to help others, sacrifice himself for the greater good. He’s driven by great purpose or vision and willing to battle whoever stands in his way.
The extreme of this character is harshly critical of others who oppose his views, overly passionate so he breaks others’ spirits and egos. He feels he’s always right and all should believe the way he believes, and those who don’t, he punishes.
7. The Artist (Poseidon):
He cares about his creativity and expressing emotions. He worries what others think of him and wants to be treated fairly.
He tries to appear he’s in control and is strong, though he often suffers self-doubt. He’s motivated by a drive to be admired, to be important.
The extreme of this character is deceitful, manipulative, playing games with people’s hearts, reckless and angry, without boundaries and easily enraged. He’ll also hold a grudge forever.
8. The King (Zeus):
He rules his kingdom—those people in his sphere. He longs to be admired and in charge, respected, and even worshiped. He wants to be the best of the best and pushes himself to get there.
He fears competition—that someone will rise above him—someone younger, faster, stronger. He’s motivated by a strong need for approval, recognition and empowerment.
The extreme of this character is archetype, arrogant, oppressive, harsh, and often humiliates others.
The understanding of the five male archetypes will in turn give you a greater capacity to understand your life, relationships, and patterns to help you grow and evolve as a person.
These archetypes are just universal patterns of behavior. Every individual is different and unique. Of course, you may have several traits from different archetypes. So keep self love in mind and leave out judgment to remain non attached while determining your archetype.
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