In search engines there are many answers to the question of what the “Napoleon complex” is. Basically, historical data is provided related to short people who reached the top in politics, sports or on the stage.
However, this question is revealed more from the historical side than from human psychology. Napoleon syndrome is a personality defect that prevents a person from enjoying life.
More often, this quality is inherent in men, and it begins in childhood. Then when at school or others educational institutions the guy suffers ridicule and loses faith in himself. In every school class there was a little boy who was being teased.
Example:
Girls choose strong and handsome candidates for gentlemen, but it is more difficult for a small and frail guy to create a relationship.
Having accumulated severe pain and streaks of failure, the “Napoleonic man” makes a promise to himself to grow, become better than everyone else and achieve maximum heights in life, which he strives for in the future.
Wanting to stand out in all situations, he studies diligently, follows the assigned instructions of his superiors, but his soul is filled with revenge and awaits the hour of reckoning. Such people strive to have a car and housing, a lot of money and a high position in society.
Having received the position of boss, their hidden resentment breaks out. Now they prove to others and subordinates their height and advantage. Consequently, these people humiliate others and try to subjugate others for self-satisfaction.
Napoleon complex in short women
Now let's look at the Napoleonic complex in women. On the one hand, it’s good to be small: a neat figure, you can wear high heels. Not tall gives a person mobility and dexterity. In some sports it is encouraged. But for some reason, more and more often, short girls strive to be taller. Growth is a major challenge for some of us.
If men behave aggressively with this syndrome, girls restrain their emotions within themselves. They are less susceptible to frustration and emphasize imagined flaws only with high shoes.
It is possible that the lady will set a goal and begin to strive for it. Yes, that's actually good. A person who wants to make a career, gain status in society and be independent becomes a source of envy for other ladies, which will help the sufferer regain the missing confidence.
Having proven her importance and supremacy, a woman will find peace and get rid of mental trauma.
The Napoleon complex in popular psychology gives the following advice to those who are ridiculed:
Psychologists advise making a list for yourself. Divide a piece of paper into 2 columns. In one column, write a description for tall people. On the other half for yourself. To increase your confidence, take as an example a friend or acquaintance who is taller than you. Describe the pros and cons of both of you. Every person deep down loves himself, so your cup of advantages will outweigh your opponent's cup.
Women often think that if they had lips like Angelina Jolie, breasts like Anna Semenovich and legs like Claudia Schiffer, then everything in their lives would be different. Men are sure that having extra centimeters reproductive organ or the absence of glasses would promote success among women.
Psychological complexes can develop from one careless word or constant ridicule from parents, teachers or friends. You can hardly expect that a girl whose mother constantly told her that her daughter was clumsy and fat would turn into a confident girl. Boys also have a hard time... What are these complexes that are most often found in women and men?
Women's complexes
1. I'm fat!
Very few women say that they need to gain a couple of kilograms, but the majority firmly believe that they urgently need to lose at least 10 pounds! This faith is strong, even if there is a gym, separate meals, no bad habits and a slight physique. In a fit of weight-loss enthusiasm, ladies begin to lean on buckwheat without salt, eat tons of ginger and pineapples, smear themselves with fat-burning creams and perform other magical rituals in order to look no worse than a friend or colleague, asking the question: “I’m fat, right?” Even if you lose weight, dissatisfaction with yourself will not go away, and therefore it is worth working with self-esteem. First, stop comparing yourself to others and think about your strengths. Why not cultivate them?
2. Cinderella complex
For some young ladies, it was formed by their mother, who in childhood told fairy tales about a prince who would definitely appear someday and take him to a magical land. True, fairy tales never talk about more active options for searching for such a prince. To a large extent, the formation of the complex is facilitated by prolonged viewing of soap operas, Hollywood films and reading glossy magazines. In adolescence, these fantasies are quite acceptable, but their presence at 30 years of age and above is a serious reason to think about it. Nobody says that you should connect your life with an alcoholic or a “free artist,” but it’s really worth looking at things. You can continue to sit by the window and sigh that this is not the same thing. But if you ask yourself the question: “What did I do to find my man?”, then you can achieve much greater results.
3. Guilt complex
In women it is cultivated by others much more often than in men. A woman in general is a receptive and emotional being, which is actively used by her parents, husbands, children, friends and just acquaintances. The mother will call such a lady and demand that she immediately bring her an important thing, and if she refuses to fulfill this or that request, accusations will follow that her daughter is useless, not like her neighbor Marya Petrovna. A woman with a guilt complex will sincerely worry that she earns more than her husband, and in order to somehow compensate for this terrible shortcoming, she will allow him not to work and will work around the house with a vengeance. It is very convenient for others to make loved ones feel guilty. You should learn to assert personal boundaries and say “no.” Love yourself, be able to see and appreciate own desires, fulfill them, driving away this guilt complex.
4. Teacher complex
It occurs not only among teachers, educators, lecturers or social workers. For its formation, a strict mother is enough, constantly teaching life what is good and what is bad. Therefore, a woman with such a history has been an extremely fierce fighter since adolescence for the correctness instilled from the cradle, a kind of blue stocking. And woe to those who do not possess this very correctness, because they will simply be doomed to short five-hour lectures about the reasonable, the good and the eternal. The other half of such a teacher will have an especially difficult time: at best, they will treat him like a clinical idiot, and at worst, they will reprimand him for every word he says and every action he does. If you notice something like this in yourself, then first of all try to see in ordinary people, not students waiting for instructions. You can arrange a fasting day for yourself by giving up your usual behavior. People around you will be surprised, and you might like it.
Male complexes
1. Napoleon complex
One of the most common complexes. It’s somewhat similar to the female “I’m fat” complex. Since time immemorial, there has been a common stereotype that women prefer tall men. Therefore, many short people look with envy at their tall fellow tribesmen and pass taller women a kilometer away. Although there are exceptions when small men like tall women– the same Tom Cruise. Although they write everywhere that the Hollywood star’s height is 170 cm, this is not true. He wears special shoes with high platforms and heels. And his height ranges from 165-168 cm. By the way, historians also cannot decide on the height of Napoleon, whose name this complex is named.
When you get tired of being envious and sad, men with the notorious 149-169 cm go to the gym or work hard to buy big things, for example, an SUV or a spacious apartment. If you are worried about short have been preserved, then it’s worth thinking about whether the constant stories about how unlucky you were to be born tall are not a desire to evoke compassion or an excuse for your own laziness.
2. “Maybe he’s small”
Sexual revolution of the 20th century. has greatly complicated the life of the stronger half of humanity, forcing us to think that there is a certain absolute value of male dignity, but deviation from it is the collapse of all life. In especially difficult cases, a complete refusal of sex follows, or each intimacy resembles walking through a minefield, which leads to an increase in worries. In other cases, a man goes to great lengths, collecting partners in an effort to prove that he is wow. In general, the complex is quite common and very sticky, it can arise from a word tactlessly dropped by not the smartest girl, and all subsequent ladies together will have to deal with the consequences. In order to please men, it is worth saying that everything depends on their skill, dexterity and desire to learn to give pleasure to their partner and, of course, the partner herself. There is simply no “gold standard”.
3. "She's not for me"
One of the most incomprehensible male complexes is the fear of beautiful and even simply attractive women. There is a type of man who prefers less showy people: for some reason it seems to them that a woman of modest merit will remain faithful, and generally does not pose a particular threat to his male ego. This is based on internal self-doubt. It is she who causes the appearance of rather inarticulate and sometimes very far from the standard of beauty ladies next to tall, beautiful and intelligent men. Meanwhile, bewildered and offended, beauties make perhaps not the best choice in their lives in favor of less attractive, but confident men. Practice shows that there is no man who, deep down, does not consider himself handsome, smart, and generally darling! Therefore, beautiful ladies, feel free to flatter them and do not be afraid to overdo it. Maybe then their self-doubt will go away.
4. Daddy complex
Men with such a complex choose girls much younger than themselves, quiet and gentle, as wives. In a favorable case, he will groom and cherish his baby, proudly walking with her arm in arm, so that men of his age will die of envy. Such individuals simply need to surround their loved ones with care, pamper them and be touched by their stupidity. In all other cases, a man builds relationships with partners much younger than himself, so that he has the opportunity to emphasize his superiority, experience, intelligence and tyrannize his other half to the fullest, because he knows better how to do it right, because she has practically no chance to object. He will do everything to reduce her communication with her friends to zero and will call every half hour to find out exactly where she is. Such a man understands perfectly well that a woman of his age, as a rule, has wisdom, and therefore quickly recognizes his tactics and tendency to tyranny.
If your height is meter s
cap, don't despair. Short men have much more
advantages over women than tall ones. Now we will convince you of this.
The first advantage of a short man: high ambitions
What men
short are more ambitious and more likely to achieve success in life, they know
many. But we will confirm this again.
Nicolas Sarkozy, Tom Cruise, Napoleon, Andrei Gagarin with his
157 centimeters tall, Putin, after all, is their short stature and made them strive
prove that they are no worse, and even better than others.
The second advantage of a short man: variety in bed
If you are the same height as your friend, or
a little below, it opens up new perspectives in posture poses. And very rosy. In the “standing” position she will not have to stand on her toes, but in the “doggy style”
- place a pillow under your knees.
If you are not taller than your partner, then your bodies can be
put together like a mosaic. She will definitely like this.
In addition, there is a widespread rumor among women that guys
short- excellent lovers.
Don't make a mistake. About which tricks from your arsenal she definitely won’t like.
The third advantage of short men: they are smarter than tall men
It has been scientifically proven that guys with shorter average, have a higher speed of thinking and more
are fast, while giants are slow and poor
intelligence. Probably because impulses from the brain to the limbs are faster
they reach.
The fourth advantage of a short man: comfortable
family life
You won't have to persuade her to rehang the mirror.
higher up, she won’t ask you to “reach that shelf over there” or get
pots from the refrigerator.
Your girl will definitely not grow up tall, and neither will her wife.
swear at you during childbirth - y men
with short stature and the offspring will most likely be the same.
The fifth advantage of men with short stature: they have a large
manhood
And we're not talking about self-esteem. Scientists have measured that
the largest size goes to men with
short stature, namely 165 centimeters.
Remember the pygmies and other inhabitants of Africa: namely the blacks
There's always something to show off in your pants. Even though they don't wear them.
By the way, among girls there is also a widespread stereotype about
about where all the growth goes short men.
The sixth advantage of a short man: the character of a boss
Exactly men of short
growth due to their innate desire to command and occupy leadership positions in
large companies, and also become the real head of the family.
Are generally accepted beliefs true or are they just misconceptions and prejudices? Whether there is a Napoleon complex and how height affects a man’s character is discussed in an excerpt from Jeff Rolls’ book “Women Can’t Park and Men Can’t Pack! Psychology of stereotypes".
Psychologist Alfred Adler (1870-1937) was the first to use the term “Napoleon complex” to describe the inferiority complex that is believed to affect short men, causing them to be overactive in various areas of human activity. However, in the case of Napoleon, there was a misinterpretation of the facts: a height of 5 feet 6 inches was not considered so small in his era - Napoleon simply looked short in comparison with the soldiers of the French Imperial Guard, who were taller than average.
This fact, along with many more general studies in this area, suggests that the “short man syndrome” is a fiction. Nevertheless, this stereotype is firmly rooted in our minds.
With the increasing availability of plastic surgery and numerous other treatments designed to enhance our appearance, our height remains perhaps one of the last aspects of our appearance that we cannot change. Our interest in human height develops into an obsession - this is illustrated by the general public's attention to the height of Tom Cruise, whose photograph you can see here. But why does such an obsession arise at all? Let's first look at the benefits that high growth seems to provide.
Level of self-esteem
Many studies suggest that more tall people usually earn more money - as the most obvious example, just look at professional American basketball players. However, even in the “real world”, every additional inch of height can provide a gain additional income at £500 per year (Heineck, 2004). This pattern appears to be true for both men and women. It often turns out that when two twin sisters are of different heights, the taller one earns more. What is the psychological basis of this pattern? Can we explain these results? Does being taller increase a person's self-esteem, or is the success of tall people a consequence of how we treat them?
A team of economists from the universities of Pennsylvania and Michigan found that tall men who were relatively short in high school earned as much as short men, while short men who were relatively tall in high school earned as much. the same as tall men (Persico et al. 2003). This result suggests that the level of self-esteem corresponding to the level wages, cannot be considered a consequence of height discrimination at the present time; Apparently, it is more associated with a person’s height during adolescence. The researchers concluded: tall students considered themselves leaders and achieved much greater success in extracurricular activities. Since success begets success, tall students continued to stride confidently through life, despite the fact that their shorter comrades over time caught up with them in height.
Further support for this stereotype came from Anna Case and Christina Paxson, economists at the Center for Health and Social Welfare at Princeton University, who published a paper containing the striking conclusion: “On average, taller people earn more because they are smarter.” 2006). Their study was based on data from the US and UK, and supported the findings of other researchers that tall men and women earn 10% more than their counterparts who hold similar positions but are 4 inches shorter.
Additionally, charts based on census results suggest that Americans who are 6 feet 2 inches tall are 3% more likely to hold leadership positions than Americans who are taller.
5 feet 10 inches. Once again, explanations for this pattern should be sought in more early years and in that social position which men of today, in their youth, may or may not have acquired through confidence or uncertainty in their abilities. A child who grows rapidly during adolescence is more likely to gain self-confidence and develop greater cognitive ability than a child who begins to grow later or less noticeably. Researchers say that “as early as age three—before school begins to play a role—and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests.” Case and Paxson conclude:
Tall children are more likely to become tall adults. Taller adults are more likely to choose highly paid professions, which require more advanced speech and numeracy skills and higher intelligence, and it is the development of these qualities that ensures decent rewards. In addition, we show that taller adults choose occupations that place higher demands on cognitive skills and more low requirements to physical work skills.
Case and Paxson, 2006
Both growth and cognitive (thinking) skills are influenced by the most obvious and most controllable of all variables: nutrition. It is possible that proper care of a child at an early age, including the perinatal period, can increase his future growth and provide him with higher cognitive abilities. Besides proper nutrition, V childhood we have few other options to control a child's growth. But with the release of new research showing tall people are wealthier and happier - and even, some believe, smarter - some US parents are demanding growth hormones for their children.
Nicola Persico and colleagues conducted a cost-benefit analysis showing that such expensive treatment was well worth the money in terms of generating higher incomes (Persico et al., 2003). It may soon be that growth hormone injections will be seen as an acceptable medical intervention, similar to Botox®. But as Persico points out, if everyone increases their height, we will continually have to go to greater lengths to ensure that we are taller than average—literally “raising the bar.”
But it's not just wages that increase with growth. There is also a relationship between height and the ability to play a leadership role - although since the leadership role began to provide higher rewards, these two indicators appear to be closely related. Many books note that taller US presidential candidates always win - this is not entirely true, although since 1928 only four out of 21 election campaigns have been won by a shorter candidate (Richard Nixon in 1972, Jimmy Carter in 1976). and George Bush in 2000 and 2004). Perhaps because American politicians are aware of the importance of the Presidential Height Index (which predicts election results based on a challenger's height), many candidates are thought to exaggerate their actual height. It might be interesting to find out the height of the heels of their shoes, and how misleading they might be to the electorate! It was not surprising to political observers, considering the size of the contenders, that Barack Obama, who stands 6 feet 1 inch tall, won such a landslide victory in 2008 over the diminutive John McCain, who stood just 5 feet 6 inches tall.
So far we have talked about how high growth is an indicator of leadership potential.
However, Daniel Nettle of the Open University (2002) found that taller men are considered more attractive and, as a result, are more likely to have children. His analysis of 10,000 people born in Britain during one week in March 1958 found that a man above average height (6ft) was more likely to have children than a man of average height (5ft 10in). Women, on the other hand, were more likely to get married and have children if they were shorter than the average height of 5 feet 3 inches.
Are short men more aggressive than tall men?
Thus, being tall appears to provide men with an advantage in many ways. But what about the stereotype that short men are more aggressive than tall men? The aggression research group at the University of Central Lancashire, led by Mike Easlea and Dominic Ritter, conducted a remarkable experiment to investigate this stereotype (Easlea and Ritter, 2007). Ten men under 5 feet 5 inches and ten men above average height participated in a study that tested their physical abilities such as hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and several others. In reality, they were taking part in a game designed to test their aggressiveness. To begin with, they were seated in pairs and connected to a monitor that monitored the work of the heart. They were then asked to play a game with chopsticks. According to its rules, each player had to try to strike as quickly as possible with his chopstick the stick of his opponent, who had to dodge the attacker's blows and try to preserve his “weapon”: in fact, they were fencing with chopsticks.
Unbeknownst to one member of the pair, his opponent was asked to specifically strike his opponent's knuckles. The experimenters measured physiological parameters of the participants' reactions to such provocation. The results showed that short participants were less likely to become aggressive than tall participants. These results refuted the validity of the Napoleon stereotype.
Mike Esley concluded that short men are not more aggressive - in fact, the opposite was true. However, when people see aggressive behavior from a short man, they attribute it to the man's height, since this physical characteristic is the most obvious.
The underlying causes of aggression in taller men have been attributed to the influence of many other situation-specific factors.
"Short Man Syndrome"
We can say with confidence that the existence of “short man syndrome”, which causes short men to be stereotyped as aggressive, is not supported by research. As you know, Gandhi was only 5 feet and 3 inches tall, and it would be difficult to find a less aggressive person in the world than him.
For every Hitler there is a Saddam Hussein (6 feet 2 inches), for every Napoleon there is Idi Amin (6 feet 4 inches), and for every Stalin there is an Osama bin Laden (6 feet 4 inches), all of whom are tall men with equally aggressive tendencies. Think also of such cute shorties as Ronnie Corbett, Mickey Rooney and Ernie Weiss, whom we can hardly call dictators. Short men sometimes actually have less chance of success - and, from their point of view, much less.
But in reality they are no more aggressive than their taller counterparts. Perhaps it's time to give shorties a chance - and provide a special platform for climbing the career ladder.