leader of the pack. The top dog, the alpha male. Often said of male teenagers who lead informal groups or unsanctioned gangs. Teens are members of an age group of humans in which pack-like behavior—and a pack mentality—seem most typical.

The desire to conform and fit in is very powerful during adolescence, so this developmental phase may create susceptibility to a dominant leader who can articulate appropriate behavior and determine who is to be included and who is excluded. However, this metaphor is hardly limited to human adolescents. It need not even refer explicitly to the one in charge if the “pack” refers simply to a closely packed group in competition: “...Fifth Third Bank of Cincinnati was once the leader of the pack. Its earnings far outpaced the industry and its strong stock price allowed it to snap up weaker peers,” offers Eric Dash, a financial analyst for the New York Times. The role of the alpha is to keep the pack's hierarchy intact; he might snap at but would not snap up.

.Made in 1953, the film is considered the template for 50's rebellion. It was directed by Laslo Benedek and based on a

This image is excerpted from a poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher or the creator of the work depicted. I believe that the use of scaled-down, low-resolution images of posters to provide critical commentary on the film in question or of the poster itself qualifies as fair use under United States copyright law. Any other uses of this image may be copyright infringement.