In freshman year, I became interested in society and social order. At the time, I was also fascinated with wolves and their social interactions. Meanwhile in school, I was taking Debate and was constantly looking at the news and googling various ideas and concepts. I came up with my own "theory" (for lack of a better word) on how our society worked. It seemed to hold true in some areas, but since it's something I came up with in 9th grade, as well as being exactly that, a theory, it obviously has a few weak spots and holes and doesn't apply to the whole of society. That being said, the theory I came up with in 9th grade is called Pack Theory (hey, I wanted to be legit, so I named it, if I remember right, I actually googled to see if it existed or if something like it existed).
What is it?
Pack Theory is the idea that our social structure within groups is similar to that of a wolf pack. You have the big bosses on top which are the alphas. The subordinates that still have power (probably your boss that you answer to) which are the betas. And then all the underlings after that are the omegas. This concept can apply almost anywhere; a big corporation, a small start up, school, family, even within your own group of friends (although my particular group of friends doesn't really roll this way, at least I don't think we do). Does it apply to our government? In some ways it does, but overall, not really. But let's not dwell on what may or may not be, instead let's look at some breakdowns. Please note when I say omega, I don't mean it in a bad way, it's just a way of saying not major power and not management, also the way I may rank things might be different from how you might view things, it's just my opinion.
Businesses
This is probably the easiest to imagine, explain, wrap your mind around. In a business, whether it's a small start up or a huge corporation, there are higher ups and underlings. In a small start up, the pack is small and most likely depends on one another more, so the line between alpha and omegas are not quite there yet. Most likely everyone is operating on a beta level with the owner or whatever being the alpha. Are there omegas? Yes, but since a small start up is trying to be more, the lines are blurred. They are there, but blurred. However, if you look at a mega corporation, there are various packs within one huge pack (remember similar to a wolf pack; never said only one pack per group). The large pack being the whole company. The CEO and probably the CFO (one more I just can't remember the last one) are the alphas (ignore the board of directors in my brain they don't exist even though they are above the CEO). Under the alphas are a string of betas that have varied amounts of power. The betas are your department heads, managers, team leaders, etc. Then the omegas are everyone else. Within a corporation, there might be various offices in various cities which have their own structures. This is where the packs within a large pack comes from.
School
This is more of a faux pack. No one usually holds any real power but there are those who might have a higher social standing. In this sense, the "popular" kids are the alphas. The not "lame" kids are the betas. There's the kids who are just there and aren't really anything. And then there's the kids at the bottom of the pack who are the omegas. Basic stuff, you didn't really need me to spell it out for you, but I did anyway. There's also the rank of grade level. Generally the freshmen are the omegas. Sophomores are kind of just there. Juniors could be seen as betas (personally I see them as just there). And then seniors are a mix of alphas and betas. Cliques, teams, clubs, (groups really) all have their own order of things as well.
Family
There's an order to things in most families. There is usually a matriarchal or patriarchal figure, their favorites/those who try to take control, and then the rest of the family. Pretty straight forward. Probably a hierarchy among genders and age groups, as well as among various sides of the family.
Friends
Most likely, a group of friends is going to be made up of a few alphas and the rest betas, no one is really an omega. When I say alpha, I mean those who are primary decision makers, the ones that usually have final say, or at least seem to have all the "power." I'm not saying that alphas in a group of friends are like dictators. That's not at all what I'm saying. The line between alpha and beta are barely there; it all just blends together. (I'm trying to convey what's in my brain, but it might be getting lost in translation) To me there aren't really an omegas in a group of friends, everyone is more or less on equal ground.
Anyway, that's more or less Pack Theory. It's a still a work in progress. I'm still trying to figure out lone wolves and coyotes, as well as other ways this might apply. I'm not saying that this is exactly how everything works, just that this is the general trend that I've interpreted. Humans are strange, unique and generally unpredictable creatures. Pack Theory is meant to be a basic framework of how social order might stand. I hope you enjoyed it. Later this week I might post something about the various generations (generation Y, millennials, generation Z, etc.) For now though, Sanders out.
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