Napoleon complex

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The Napoleon complex, also known as Napoleon syndrome and short-man syndrome, is a term to describe persons of short stature or dwarfism, typically men, who are perceived to have overly aggressive or domineering social behavior. There is the implication such behavior is to compensate for the subject's physical or social shortcomings or insecurities. Both commonly and in psychology, the Napoleon complex is regarded as a derogatory social stereotype. The Napoleon complex is named after Napoleon Bonaparte, the first emperor of the French, who was estimated to have been 5 feet 2 inches tall (in pre–metric system French measures), which equals around 1.67 metres or just under 5 feet 6 inches in imperial measure. Though Napoleon was close to average height for his era, British cartoonist James Gillray nonetheless popularized the myth of Napoleon being short. Research on whether short persons display higher levels of aggression or domineering behavior has produced mixed results.

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