sailingpj Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 "But of course, my dad used to say that sometimes I could be so hard headed that I really could win an arguement with a wall!" I once dented a boom with my head, and still went on to win the race. I notice a lot of "Alpha Dogs" in the local Sea Scout adult leadership. It is one thing that causes a lot of the problems that happen between various ships. I also notice even more of that in the youth. Especially the ones who are or used to be a boatswain. There is definitely a lot of verbal smacking down that happens in my ship. Much of it is disguised in humor, but once in a while you just have to say "shut up or I'm going to bring out the duct tape" (that is a direct quote from our current boatswain). I would definitely say that scouting attract that type of personality. It is also a place where people who don't know they have that type of personality find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I'm assuming this term is referring to the wolf pack mentality of an alpha male and female that hold the pack together. If applied to the BSA I can see a number of problems arising with the analogy. Alpha male and alpha female run the pack by dominance. I often see this as a genuine problem with SM's in an adult-led program. Transition of leadership occurs only after a challenge to that position, again another analogy to the political dynamics of problem units. Alpha males do not "train" any of the others in leadership. Obviously no one is interested in abdicating anytime soon and no one is going to teach someone how to do it either. I think the term in psychology that fits better than Alpha dog is Type-A personality. Even if one were accept a bastardized version where an alpha male were to take some time to actually teach, or at least demonstrate, leadership as an alpha male, I'm thinking it quite a disservice to teach our boys to lead by dominance and intimidation. Sounds a bit harsh, but I see these dynamics all the time in our culture. If one reads carefully the Scout Law, many of the laws do not have a correlation to any form of alpha leadership. Yes, I do spend a lot of time in self-evaluation to see if I exemplify any such alpha characteristics... Your mileage may vary, Stosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagledad Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 >>I think the term in psychology that fits better than Alpha dog is Type-A personality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnLaurelB Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 If you google NPD, there's a little picture of my ex-h. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeattlePioneer Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I'd have to say I don't agree with the Alpha Dog model. Among the characteristics of an active poster is having the time to spend on the avocation. I'm retired, myself. I have the time. Another is resiliance. You are going to get slapped around and beaten up on these boards if you proffer your opinions often enough. If you can't deal with that and defend yourself and your ideas, you probably aren't going to last. That also means you can't take your own bright ideas too seriously. There are often a variety of good ideas out there, and a variety of ways of dealing with an issue. A part of that is being willing to search for the truth... or truths. To get the valuable opinions of others, you have to strike flint with a steel --- which produces sparks. In Scouting, I try to avoid being an Alpha Dog. I want other people to participate and see their ideas and efforts used and appreciated. As best I can, I'm always looking for the next person to be a leader and take over an activity, and I'b be glad to turn over anything I do to another person who would be interested in doing the job and has a certain minimum level of promise or competence. That's the way I see myself, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resqman Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 A forum for Leaders of a leadership organization has a lot of posts by strong personalities. Not just leaders but people who sought out an organization whose goal is to grow leaders and they volunteered to lead. Not just for a short while but usually for years or even decades. Wow, who would have ever thought there might be some strong opinions. Many of the posts/questions are mostly about how can I lead this troubled group of followers to resolution with their petty problems. The answer usually is to turn the followers into leaders. If they won't lead, then the group doesn't really want/need them anyway and find someone who will help lead. BSA has a very well defined list of rules and policies to run the program as well as govern the way members should live their lives. Additionally the program centers around service to others. How better to serve your fellow man than by creating service oriented leaders. So not suprisingly posters tend to fullfill their service committment by leading and teaching leadership. My boyhood troop formed an Explorer Post. We limited membership to 20. The first 18 who joined were Eagle scouts. The other two earned the rank of Eagle while members. That was an amazing group to be a part of. Kind of a teenage Officers Club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packsaddle Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 AnnLaurelB, when I googled NPD I got some marketing firm. Does 'NPD' stand for something else? As usual, I feel like I've missed an important detail somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnLaurelB Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 Sorry. Narcissistic personality disorder. Here's my favorite site for down-to-earth explanations and examples of NPD. http://narc-attack.blogspot.com/ Prepare to shout, "OH MY GOSH! Now it makes sense!" because I guarantee you know someone with NPD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packsaddle Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Thanks, I was thinking 'North Pacific Division', or something along those lines. So...is your ex really going to pop up? Here in the South, I mostly find persons with borderline personality disorder. It's fascinating how they can nevertheless organize into a society...based on wretchedness....make money on books and movies too. I think it all emerges from the penal colony that prides itself on peaches. I could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnLaurelB Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 LOL! He's from Ohio. And of course I was kidding about his picture, but I swear some of the people who posted about experiences with loved ones' NPD behaviors MUST have known the ex-h. My theory would be that an NPD person would not spend much time trying to convince someone of anything online, because they're already convinced that their own position is irrefutable. Anyone who disagrees with them simply shouldn't exist, as far as they are concerned, so it's not in their nature to engage the dissenting person, since in their mind, there's nothing to be gained by them personally in doing so. At least in my understanding/experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeBob Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Packsaddle:"the penal colony that prides itself on peaches". Are you trying to mark territory on my home state of Georgia? Your subtlety needs to be more discreet if you want to be an invading Alpha here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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