Napoleon Complex

The Napoleon complex, also called Napoleon syndrome or short-man syndrome, describes people of short stature, typically men, who are perceived as overly aggressive or domineering, with the behavior read as compensation for physical or social insecurity. Both popular usage and psychology treat it as a derogatory social stereotype rather than a diagnosed condition. It is named for Napoleon Bonaparte, whose actual height was close to average for his era, a myth of unusual shortness popularized by the British cartoonist James Gillray.