Napoleon complex

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Napoleon complex is a colloquial term describing an alleged type of inferiority complex which is said to affect some people who are physically 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 term is also known as Napoleon syndrome,[1] Short Man syndrome,[2] and Small Man syndrome.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The Napoleon complex is named after French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. The conventional wisdom is that Napoleon overcompensated for his short height by seeking power, war and conquest. However, Napoleon was actually average height for his time period. The perception that Napoleon was short may be related to his often being seen with his Imperial Guard, who were above average height.

In 2007, research by the University of Central Lancashire suggested that the Napoleon complex (described in terms of the theory that shorter men are more aggressive to dominate those who are taller than them) may be 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.[2]

The Wessex Growth Study is a community-based longitudinal study conducted in the UK that monitored the psychological development of children from school entry to adulthood. The study was controlled for potential effects of gender and socioeconomic status, and found that "no significant differences in personality functioning or aspects of daily living were found which could be attributable to height";[3] this functioning included generalizations associated with the Napoleon complex, such as risk-taking behaviors.[4]

In psychology, the Napoleon complex is regarded as a derogatory social stereotype.[5]

[edit] In evolutionary theory

There are many examples of larger organisms acting aggressively towards smaller organisms in the animal kingdom, but some studies of aggressive behavior in organisms have detected cases where smaller individuals initiate aggression.[6] A 1995 study of contests between males in the swordtail fish species Xiphophorus nigrensis and Xiphophorus multilineatus found that 78% of observed fights were initiated by the smaller fish, and in 70% of fights the fish that delivered the first bite lost the conflict.[7] From an evolutionary perspective, this "Napoleon complex" behavior seems irrational.[6]

Posited explanations include an asymmetry in the value of the contested resource to the two combatants (the individual with lower resource holding potential may attack first if the value of the resource is greater for him), a misconception on the part of the weaker organism about his own strength, and the "Desperado Effect", where omega males attack because they have no other opportunities to gain resources.[8]

Another posited explanation is that the stronger contestant benefits from delaying escalating a display to a fight, "leaving the initiative to the opponent and hoping for him to retreat, either because of realistic perception of his chances to win the fight or by mistake. [...] our proposed explanation for what is commonly considered the 'Napoleon Complex' might be appropriately identified as the 'Gentle Giant Syndrome.'"[9]

A Napoleon complex evolutionarily stable strategy, where smaller individuals are more aggressive than larger opponents, is possible when smaller individuals display and larger individuals retreat; this may occur when the smaller individual has some chance to win a fight and resources are abundant and of relatively low value.[6]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007)
  1. ^ Morrison, Richard. "Heart of the Fifties generation beats once again", The Times, 2005-10-10. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. 
  2. ^ a b "Short men 'not more aggressive'", BBC News, 2007-03-28. Retrieved on 2008-01-17. 
  3. ^ Ulph, F.; Betts, P; Mulligan, J; Stratford, R. J. (January 2004). "Personality functioning: the influence of stature". Archives of Disease in Childhood 89 (1): 17–21. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. doi:10.1136/adc.2002.010694. 
  4. ^ Lipman, Terri H.; Linda D. Voss (May/June 2005). "Personality Functioning: The Influence of Stature". MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing 30 (3): 218. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. doi:10.1097/00005721-200505000-00019. 
  5. ^ Sandberg, David E.; Linda D. Voss (2002-11-27). "The psychosocial consequences of short stature: a review of the evidence" (PDF). Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 16 (3): 450. Elsevier Science Ltd.. 
  6. ^ a b c Morrell, Lesley J.; Lindstrom, Jan; Ruxton, Graeme D. (2005-06-15). "Why are small males aggressive?". Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 272 (1569): 1235–1241. The Royal Society. doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3085. PMID 16024387. 
  7. ^ Just, Winfried; Morris, Molly R. (September 2003). "The Napoleon Complex: why smaller males pick fights". Evolutionary Ecology 17 (5-6): 509–522. Kluwer Academic Publishers. doi:10.1023/B:EVEC.0000005629.54152.83. 
  8. ^ Just and Morris, 511.
  9. ^ Just and Morris, 518.