The Napoleon Complex is a term to describe the inferiority complex which is felt by diminutive people, who then overcompensate for their height by being excessively aggressive. It is also commonly known as “little man syndrome,” “small man syndrome” and other names of the same vein.
Aggression and Jealousy Borne of Deprivation
A report by the Hastings Centre suggests that this condition is a result developed from early ages. Smaller children may be subject to ridicule and bullying by their peers; consequently they may develop a deep sense of inferiority and passivity, thus they would constantly strive for power and control over others.
This carries on to adulthood, where studies have shown tall people are likely to be more successful in public pursuits requiring leadership and negotiation skills, such as running for office and in occupations such as law and business.
Another undesirable trait associated with petite people is that they have a higher propensity for jealousy, as shown in a study by Professor Abraham Buunk from the University of Groningen.
The researchers surveyed 100 participants from each gender, who were in relationships, about their feelings of jealousy and how interested they believed their partners to be in other members of the opposite sex. Interestingly, men around 5 feet, 4 inches tall were found to be 50 percent more prone to jealousy than their counterparts measuring 6 feet, 6 inches tall.
Smaller Animals Start Fights
The Napoleon complex has also been used to explain aggression in the animal kingdom, as put forward by Lesley Morrell et al. The larger opponent is often victorious; however, counter intuitively, an individual that has less chance of winning — that is, the smaller sized one — sometimes initiates contests.
A number of hypotheses have been put forward to explain this behaviour, including the “desperado effect,” where the likely losers initiate aggression due to lack of alternative options. An alternative explanation suggested that likely losers might also attack due to mistakenly perceiving their chances of victory as being greater than they are.
Napoleon Bonaparte and Other Leaders
The name of this complex evidently traces its origins to Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor of the early 19th century. The French conqueror has always been portrayed in historical accounts and popular culture as being vertically challenged, standing at an estimated 5 feet, 2 inches tall.
However, other historians have pointed out that this reported height might be a myth – Napoleon’s real height was 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and he could have been painted to be much shorter only as a form of propaganda by his naysayers. It was also believed that Napoleon was of average height for a man of the era, and simply appeared shorter in comparison to his Imperial Guard.
Though it is a common conception that taller people make better leaders, many heads of state around the world do not make imposing figures due to their height. Cases in point: French President Nicolas Sarkozy stands at 5 feet, 5 inches tall; Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi measures up to 5 feet, 7 inches tall; and North Korean premiere Kim Yong Il barely hits 5 feet, 3 inches tall. So whether this reinforces or contradicts the idea of the Napoleon Complex remains debatable.
References:
- ABC News "World Leaders Don't Stand So Tall", July 5, 2008.
- Morrell, L., Lindström, J. And Ruxton G. (2005) “Why are Small Males Aggressive?” Proceedings: Biological Sciences, Vol. 272, No. 1569, pp. 1235-1241.
- Benjamin, M., Muyskens J. And Saenger, P. (1984) The Hastings Center Report, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 5-9.
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