Alpha Personalities And Group Dynamics

July 27, 2006 by admin.

Modern societies seem to have left behind the tribe and village mind set that dominated our existence on this planet until just a few centuries ago. Our cities provide anonymity and privacy not possible in a small village or tribe. A corresponding rise in non productive behavior accompanies this change. Crime, selfish acts, violations of ethics and morals are more difficult to deal with today. Banishing a tribal member for transgression against the group was often the punishment of last resort.
For many years the network enhanced and furthered communication and knowledge. Of course it wasn’t called the Internet then it was uunet/usenet and arpanet. The UseNet News Groups posting boards, so useful for engineering and science, soon became the gossip center and porn source for “anyone with two neurons they could rub together, and a modem”. This bit of humor is from the 1980s. Nearly thirty years later the only change has been that you no longer need any neurons, LOL.

The Internet allows anyone to be anyone, something that wasn’t possible nor desired 30 years ago. This freedom of identity allows and facilitates behaviors generally considered rude or hateful in person. Many engineers my age, 57, can remember how flame wars on uunet became common once general society became participants. The Internet became a place where identity could and can be hidden, where ethics, morals, integrity, and courtesy are optional.

I began a study of alpha personalities and aggressive behavior in societies and organizations many years ago. My interest area is in group dynamics and the interplay/interaction between the leader(s) and the follower(s). For an organization to exist there must be a benefit to the membership. This generalization is the basis for why cells organize into organs which organized into bodies. Note that not all organizations provide useful benefits to its members. Jim Jones comes to mind here as well as perhaps prisons. Not all alpha personalities are aggressive. Gandhi comes to mind who used passive resistance to influence society. Long time members of an organization who often are also the alpha personality may influence more through example and guidance then through aggression and control.

Tom Repasky
Susan Repasky
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