Napoleon complex (or Napoleon syndrome) is a colloquial term used to describe a type of inferiority complex suffered by people who are short. Alfred Adler pioneered the psychological work on inferiority complexes, and used Napoléon Bonaparte as an example of someone who he thought was driven to extremes by a psychological need to compensate for what he saw as a handicap: his small stature. Typically people with this complex will compensate in many ways, reaching beyond their personal performance. A person with a Napoleon Complex may set pictures in their home to lower levels and make other such accommodations which will enable them to feel taller in their surroundings.
Compensatory behavior exhibited by those with a Napoleon complex may also include being overly aggressive or argumentative which all serve to give the person a sense of greater self worth.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_complex |
