dominance display
Asserting one's superiority
A dominance display is behavior meant to establish or reinforce social rank—posturing, vocalizations, or physical demonstrations that signal power without necessarily resorting to violence.
Animals use dominance displays to settle hierarchies: The silverback's chest-beating was a classic dominance display.
The term extends to human behavior, often critically: His interrupting everyone at the meeting was pure dominance display.
- alphaFirst Greek letter
- alpha maleDominant group leader
- top dogDominant leader
- posturingInsincere behavior for effect
- aggressionHostile or attacking behavior
chest-puffing · chest beating · swagger · intimidation · show of force · territory · plumage · roar · antlers · strut · submission · big man on campus · pecking order · challenge · flexing · power move · showdown · pissing contest
- animal behaviorsswimming, running, walking, jumping, flying
- intimidationthreats, threatening, menacing, intimidate, bullying
- Chimpsbonobo, troop, grooming, tool use, alpha male
- pack behavioralpha wolf, alpha male, alpha female, wolf pack, dog pack
- pecking orderpecking order, alpha, beta, omega, submissive
- territorialityscent marking, marking, guarding, defending, border disputes
dominance displaysubmissive posture
Body position showing subordination
cowering · groveling · supplication · self-abasement · kowtowing
dominance, display, dominant, dominate, domination, dominator, dominion, domain, domineering