The Zeus Instinct is the leadership instinct for those who are masculine. It also incorporates the masculine need for rank and hierarchy, "knowing one's place" in the rankings, and having a goal to aim for in making progress within a social system. When a man leads in a “Zeus” way in a relationship, it doesn’t take anything away from the woman’s leadership. It’s just a masculine style versus a feminine style, both powerful. Hera and Zeus were the “godhead” of Mt Olympus, and their marriage itself was the real “ruler” in everyday Greek life. So why the designations as regents of the universe? The fact that Zeus is called ‘King” and Hera is called “Queen” suits the masculine instinct that the figure of Zeus himself symbolizes.
Males need to know their “rank” in a hierarchy in order to feel comfortable with going about their lives. It is not just about “societal roles” but rather a evolutionary, biological effect in which men are most passionate (and effective) doing certain tasks, feeling low in anxiety, and more at ease and motivated because they can bring to bear the right skills that they are trained with, taking on the right job to suit them, and knowing that they are contributing to society in a meaningful and masculine way that is true to their identity. It doesn’t matter if a man is a janitor or the CEO of a multinational corporation - when each man knows what he is called on to do, at any level of a hierarchy of men on a team with a mission, each will bring to the table every ounce of their being.
Even though this tendency was biologically evolved into the “hard wiring” of men’s minds, as you may imagine, it was very useful for the Homo Sapiens species in the process of survival and carrying on the race. Cities and nations were built and conquered on the power of this instinct, and the resources of war and the benefits of peace owe a debt to it, just as do the feminine instincts of Hera. Zeus is a “male sense of self” or identity, and Hera is a “female sense of self” or identity.
When they are not in touch with this “role by hierarchy” aspect of the Zeus Instinct, men are lost. They get in the welfare lines, become depressed at a level called “melancholy,” and drop out of society...
...and relationships.
RETURN TO THE MASCULINE INSTINCTS
