NAPOLEON COMPLEX

In the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, 'Napoleon complex' (or Napoleon syndrome, or Short Man Syndrome) is a colloquial term used to describe a type of inferiority complex suffered by people who are short. The term is also used more generally to describe people who are driven by a perceived handicap to overcompensate in other aspects of their lives. This behavior can sometimes go as far as acts of violence or will to dominate those who are taller than the short person.
Alfred Adler pioneered the psychological work on inferiority complexes and used Napoléon Bonaparte as an example of someone whom he considered driven to extremes by a psychological need to compensate for the perceived handicap of being short (although there is debate regarding the common assumption that he was of below average height).
In 2007, research by the University of Central Lancashire produced evidence that the Napoleon complex is a myth. The study discovered that short men (below 5 foot 5 inches) were less likely to lose their temper than men of average height. The experiment involved subjects dueling each other with sticks, with one subject deliberately rapping the other's knuckles. Heart monitors revealed that the taller men were more likely to lose their tempers and hit back. The lead researcher concluded, "The results were consistent with the view that Small Man Syndrome is a myth."^[1]

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See also

References

1. Short men 'not more aggressive'

See also

★ Human height

★ Misconceptions about Napoleon's height

★ Heightism