The top dog

Scanlas The 2nd

In any group of people there is a hierarchy of status.

What determines in your opinion the person with the highest status in a group?

For me I'd say the top dog is the person who gets the most compliance from everyone else in the group. The top dog can tell others in the group what to do more than anyone else in the group, they can dictate what's normal more than anyone else, for example they could wear unusual clothes and it will more likely be accepted rather than ridiculed.

Also, they usually IMO are the least socially anxious in the group, they are the least affected by the opinions of the others in the group. When they speak people listen more than anyone else.

Leeg17

The top dog can tell others in the group what to do more than anyone else in the group

I don't want to be in that group, that's for sure..

Shryke

Alpha male you mean?

TheBody

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

In any group of people there is a hierarchy of status.

What determines in your opinion the person with the highest status in a group?

For me I'd say the top dog is the person who gets the most compliance from everyone else in the group. The top dog can tell others in the group what to do more than anyone else in the group, they can dictate what's normal more than anyone else, for example they could wear unusual clothes and it will more likely be accepted rather than ridiculed.

Also, they usually IMO are the least socially anxious in the group, they are the least affected by the opinions of the others in the group. When they speak people listen more than anyone else.

Hey op, you post when I give you permission to post!! :pac:

Scanlas The 2nd

Shryke wrote: »

Alpha male you mean?

Could be female.

plasteritup

Leeg17 wrote: »

I don't want to be in that group, that's for sure..

u must be top dog somewhere else already.

TheBody

Leeg17 wrote: »

I don't want to be in that group, that's for sure..

Are you top dog of after hours?.....you being a mod and all.

LH Pathe

Top dog eh.. usually referring to something criminal whereas a top cat refers to something cool but here we are; criminal is cool.

The King of Moo

QUIET!! ALL OF YOU!!

They're approaching the tyrannosaur paddock...

flutterflye

This is one of the reasons I avoid groups.
I usually tend to not mesh too well with the alpha person in groups.

dr.bollocko

I carefully spent a large amount of time mocking, goading, insulting and ranting about things I dislike for years on boards.

The idea is to build up a persona of a negative, sullen, cranky, miserable old bastard.

That way, when I finally do suggest something positive to add to the world, or to boards, people got behind me. I mean. How can the guy who hates everything actually like something? And if he does... how can it be a bad thing?!

That's how I finally got my classic rock forum.

Leeg17

TheBody wrote: »

Are you top dog of after hours?.....you being a mod and all.

Dr. B beats me.

TeddyTedson

dr.bollocko wrote: »

I carefully spent a large amount of time mocking, goading, insulting and ranting about things I dislike for years on boards.

The idea is to build up a persona of a negative, sullen, cranky, miserable old bastard.

That way, when I finally do suggest something positive to add to the world, or to boards, people got behind me. I mean. How can the guy who hates everything actually like something? And if he does... how can it be a bad thing?!

That's how I finally got my classic rock forum.

Hmmm, I like....cake
*ding*
Is there a cake forum...?

AnnaVanilla

Might be true for teenagers... and since I'm not a teenager anymore, now I like to hang around with people who treat other people with respect and will let them have an opinion of their own even if they don't share it. Anyone else aren't worth spending time with

(Except if it's my manager of course )

dr.bollocko

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Hmmm, I like....cake
*ding*
Is there a cake forum...?

There is but I don't post there because it's shared with pies.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=492

dr.bollocko

fúck pies.

Not like that dude on american pie either.

Feisar

Doesn't the group generally "elect" the Alpha? As in the group picks the alpha for the groups benefit. It's not like the top dog comes in and takes over.

TeddyTedson

dr.bollocko wrote: »

There is but I don't post there because it's shared with piles.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=492

why, just why!?

Greentopia

Top dog telling others what to do? not in any group of friends I've ever been in and not one I'd want to be in either.

I listen to someone and hold their views in high regard only if I respect them and I value what they have to say, not because of their 'status' within a group. That's a load of nonsense IMO. I don't agree with status or hierarchy in any area of life.

I'm sure there are some people who think themselves top dog or alpha male/female and expect respect and compliance from others because of it but quite frankly if I detected that and they tried to exert influence over or coerce me to their way of thinking/behaving they'd be told in no uncertain terms to take a hike!

TeddyTedson

Who's the alpha male on boards, Dudess?

Greentopia

The King of Moo wrote: »

QUIET!! ALL OF YOU!!

They're approaching the tyrannosaur paddock...

You're not the boss of me!! :mad:

the groutch

it whoever's the loudest, most annoying pr*ck

Greentopia

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Who's the alpha male on boards, Dudess?

Looking for validation from her? :pac:

Scanlas The 2nd

Greentopia wrote: »

Top dog telling others what to do? not in any group of friends I've ever been in and not one I'd want to be in either.

I listen to someone and hold their views in high regard only if I respect them and I value what they have to say, not because of their 'status' within a group. That's a load of nonsense IMO. I don't agree with status or hierarchy in any area of life.

I'm sure there are some people who think themselves top dog or alpha male/female and expect respect and compliance from others because of it but quite frankly if I detected that and they tried to exert influence over or coerce me to their way of thinking/behaving they'd be told in no uncertain terms to take a hike!

I was quietly awaiting this sort of naive reply.

The highest status of the group isn't the person who thinks they are, it's the person who the others respect the most. You say yourself you listen to what others have to say only if you respect and hills that person in high regard, the highest status in the group is the one who gets most respect.

The King of Moo

Greentopia wrote: »

You're not the boss of me!! :mad:

*awkwardly tries to act casual, like he didn't say anything at all, and no-one ignored the order*

Mr.Biscuits

dr.bollocko wrote: »

I carefully spent a large amount of time mocking, goading, insulting and ranting about things I dislike for years on boards.

The idea is to build up a persona of a negative, sullen, cranky, miserable old bastard.

That way, when I finally do suggest something positive to add to the world, or to boards, people got behind me. I mean. How can the guy who hates everything actually like something? And if he does... how can it be a bad thing?!

That's how I finally got my classic rock forum.

Yeah, but they made Micky a Cmod

TeddyTedson

Greentopia wrote: »

Looking for validation from her? :pac:

You're only validated on boards when you get a clone, I'm about 15,000 posts away from that :P

LH Pathe

"Top Dog" is what I Ray Winstone uttered after I took him out with as snooker ball and sock combo of his own device

dr.bollocko

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

Yeah, but they made Micky a Cmod

Alcohol helps ease the pain.

They have a forum for that too.

TeddyTedson

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

Yeah, but they made Micky a Cmod

Wasn't he always a C Mod?


I'll tell ya who's a real nice Cmod, The Recliner.
Got a very nice PM from him/her.

Also G'em

Mr.Biscuits

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Also G'em

G'em is now an Admin, do keep up Teddy.

TeddyTedson

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

G'em is now an Admin, do keep up Teddy.

I wasn't even sure if G'em was a Cmod, I thought he/she might have just been a common mod:o

Jester252

I am the top dog of the world.
When I see someone I hump them so they know I'm the top dog.

Chuck Stone

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

The highest status of the group isn't the person who thinks they are, it's the person who the others respect the most. You say yourself you listen to what others have to say only if you respect and hills that person in high regard, the highest status in the group is the one who gets most respect.

In that case respect is earned.

In a hierarchy respect and deference are, almost always, demanded. Top dog means 'above all others' (the clue is in the term).

Fuck that shit.

Greentopia

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

I was quietly awaiting this sort of naive reply.

Naive? I think not.

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

The highest status of the group isn't the person who thinks they are, it's the person who the others respect the most. You say yourself you listen to what others have to say only if you respect and hills that person in high regard, the highest status in the group is the one who gets most respect.

I don't agree with the premise that status is in any way important so therefore I reject the idea that respect is predicated on or correlated with status. They're two separate things.
I might respect someone for many different reasons-their talents or abilities (particularly in my field of endeavour), because they're intelligent or quirky or they've overcome obstacles in life or they're interesting in any number of ways. The question of what status they may or may not hold is irrelevant to me.

I can only imagine something like who's the top dog being something important in a much younger demographic than I belong to anyway, where people's personalities and values are still forming.

As AnnaVanilla said-it may matter among some teens who're jockeying for position in a group but I'm long past that stage in life!

Scanlas The 2nd

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

The highest status of the group isn't the person who thinks they are, it's the person who the others respect the most. You say yourself you listen to what others have to say only if you respect and hills that person in high regard, the highest status in the group is the one who gets most respect.

In that case respect is earned.

In a hierarchy respect and deference are, almost always, demanded. Top dog means 'above all others' (the clue is in the term).

Fuck that shit.

I'm talking about a group of people with no artificial roles to taint the hierarchy such as a boss. In a group of friends one will get more respect from the group than any of the others? Agree or disagree?

Mr.Biscuits

TeddyTedson wrote: »

I wasn't even sure if G'em was a Cmod, I thought he/she might have just been a common mod:o

The 'top dog' list is down the bottom right of the forum?

Actually, the real 'top dog' is on my visitor page.

Greentopia

Chuck Stone wrote: »

In that case respect is earned.

In a hierarchy respect and deference are, almost always, demanded. Top dog means 'above all others' (the clue is in the term).

Fuck that shit.

Bang on.
Fuck that sh1t I say too. I don't care to have people who think or behave like that in my life, tyvm.

flutterflye

I don't think alot of people here are actually understanding the op at all!
It is a societal fact!
It happens everywhere, in every group.
There is always a 'top dog' leader type person.
It is not a bad thing - it is just the way it is!

Scanlas The 2nd

Just thought of another one.

The person who can tell a crap joke and get the most laughs.

Jess16

True leaders inspire people to do things on their own initiative, not by bossing them about

The King of Moo

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

Just thought of another one.

The person who can tell a crap joke reply to a thread first and get the most laughs thanks.

FYP for Boards relevance. :pac:

Scanlas The 2nd

Jess16 wrote: »

True leaders inspire people to do things on their own initiative, not by bossing them about

Who said anything about bossing people about. Most people will get compliance when telling someone to pass the salt. Higher status peole can ask for the salt when it is closer to them than anyone else. If someone else asked for the salt to be passed from the same distance as the limit of the top dogs powners they would be refused or laughed at.

AnnaVanilla

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

Just thought of another one.

The person who can tell a crap joke and get the most laughs.

Good friends will tell you to your face when you've told a crap joke, or when you're talking sh*te in general... I don't know you that well though so let's just say I disagree

Chuck Stone

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

In a group of friends one will get more respect from the group than any of the others? Agree or disagree?

They may do but different people will get respect by different means. The guy who will kick your head in if you disagree with him or threatened his perceived status isn't being respected - he's being feared.

flutterflye wrote: »

I don't think alot of people here are actually understanding the op at all!
It is a societal fact!
It happens everywhere, in every group.
There is always a 'top dog' leader type person.
It is not a bad thing - it is just the way it is!

Slavery was a fact of life too. Women not voting was a fact of life.

These things need not be the way they are.

Scanlas The 2nd

Greentopia wrote: »

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

I was quietly awaiting this sort of naive reply.

Naive? I think not.

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

The highest status of the group isn't the person who thinks they are, it's the person who the others respect the most. You say yourself you listen to what others have to say only if you respect and hills that person in high regard, the highest status in the group is the one who gets most respect.

I don't agree with the premise that status is in any way important so therefore I reject the idea that respect is predicated on or correlated with status. They're two separate things.
I might respect someone for many different reasons-their talents or abilities (particularly in my field of endeavour), because they're intelligent or quirky or they've overcome obstacles in life or they're interesting in any number of ways. The question of what status they may or may not hold is irrelevant to me.

I can only imagine something like who's the top dog being something important in a much younger demographic than I belong to anyway, where people's personalities and values are still forming.

As AnnaVanilla said-it may matter among some teens who're jockeying for position in a group but I'm long past that stage in life!

I don't care about gravity but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect me. Status in a group exists and I think that would be regarded as fact by most psychologists. Put any group of people together on an Island and you'll see similar patterns of status taking place. There'll always be some with more influence over the group than others.

Jess16

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

Who said anything about bossing people about

That would be you:

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

The top dog can tell others in the group what to do, they can dictate what's normal

Do try to keep up with your own thread Scanlas

Pottler

mikemac1 wrote: »

This thread reads like the candidates on Alan Sugar's Apprentice

I'm a leader, I'm top dog, people will follow me!

Respect?? Very unusual to see a real leader that everyone respects.
Stella English two seasons ago was one, just got instant respect

Pretty much all of the rest of them are muppets with buzz words

So OP, I'd say getting people to do what you want doesn't mean they respect you

I completed a deal today with the last apprentice winner - nice enough lad in fairness but well able to slice the bacon. Fortunatly, so am I. This thread reminds me of a lad who informed me "there's only one bull in this field" - when it comes to fellas there is always manouvering as to who is top dog, who is second dog, it comes down to small stuff like handshakes - "top dogs" will try to turn their hand so their hand is palm down and yours is palm up - who gets to interrupt who(top dog gets to interrupt)and who decides when a meeting is over -if dealing with a self percieved "top dog", I always make sure my hand is locked vertical and refuse to turn my palm up to meet theirs, I sit uninvited when entering their office and assume a relaxed position, and I always get up and leave well before anyone gets the chance to dismiss me. Some would call this gamesmanship but it allows you to deal on an even level with supposed "superiors" and be accepted as an equal and not an underdog.

Scanlas The 2nd

Jess16 wrote: »

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

Who said anything about bossing people about

That would be you:

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

The top dog can tell others in the group what to do, they can dictate what's normal

Do try to keep up with your own thread Scanlas

Would telling someone to pass the salt be bossing someone about?

The King of Moo

Pottler wrote: »

I completed a deal today with the last apprentice winner - nice enough lad in fairness but well able to slice the bacon. Fortunatly, so am I. This thread reminds me of a lad who informed me "there's only one bull in this field" - when it comes to fellas there is always manouvering as to who is top dog, who is second dog, it comes down to small stuff like handshakes - "top dogs" will try to turn their hand so their hand is palm down and yours is palm up - who gets to interrupt who(top dog gets to interrupt)and who decidedes when a meeting is over -if dealing with a self percieved "top dog", I always make sure my hand is locked vertical and refuse to turn my palm up to meet theirs, I sit uninvited when entering their office and assume a relaxed position, and I always get up and leave well before anyone gets the chance to dismiss me. Some would call this gamesmanship but it allows you to deal on an even level with supposed "superiors" and be accepted as an equal and not an underdog.

Normal men don't care about such trivialities, and shake hands with their hands side by side .

flutterflye

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Slavery was a fact of life too. Women not voting was a fact of life.

These things need not be the way they are.

No, no, no!!
You still don't get it!!
It is everywhere - it has always been part of human nature, and always will be.
It is nothing even remotely like slavery!
I don't think you are even trying to understand!
It is just human nature - we do this naturally.