Napoleon complex

Not to be confused with Napoleonist syndrome.

The Napoleon complex, also known as Napoleon syndrome and short-man syndrome, is a disrespectful, pseudoscientific term of a person, typically men of short stature or dwarfism, with overly aggressive or domineering social behavior. It implies that such behavior is to compensate for the subject's physical or social shortcomings. 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 this was average height in France, British cartoonist James Gillray nonetheless picked it up and popularised the myth of Napoleon being short.)

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