little man syndrome, etc.

Fri Dec 23 07:16:42 UTC 2011

1. little man syndrome

The earliest I see in Google Books for "little man syndrome" is 1932:

"Child Psychology," Buford Jennette Johnson, C. C. Thomas, 1932, p. 11 (http://ow.ly/88xcR)

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Approval of height as a male characteristic doubtless leads to the "little man" complex found in cases of adult maladjustments.
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By 1969, it was referred to as being proverbial:

"Veronica," Veronica Lake, Donald Bain, Allen, 1969, p. 129 (http://ow.ly/88xhZ)

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I don't know why that is except that their incredible, almost superhuman drive might have stemmed, in part, from the proverbial little man complex.
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2. short man syndrome

Wikipedia doesn't list "little man syndrome," but searching for it does get a referral to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_complex. One of the synonyms listed is "short man syndrome." The earliest Google Books citation appears to be 1969:

"The ship they called the Fat Lady," William M. Hardy, Dodd, Mead, Oct 1, 1969, p. 9 (http://ow.ly/88xuc)

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 in high school and, on through his four years at the Naval Academy, he had had to develop a tremendous amount of self-discipline to avoid saddling himself with what he had come to think of as the short man's complex of inferiority
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3. Napoleon complex

The word "Napoleon complex" appears to have an older meaning of one person managing everything:

"Nelson's encyclopaedia: everybody's book of reference," Frank Moore Colby, George Sandeman, Thomas Nelson, 1907, p. 555 D (http://ow.ly/88xG3)

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It was Carnegie and Rockefeller who by their outstanding, dramatic success with the principle of real and full deletion of authority and responsibility, convinced the modern business world of the great superiority--even the necessity--of this principle in modern large-scale enterprise. Attention was at last focused upon the technics of organization, and the objective rather than the subjective attitude of owners and managers. The 'Napoleon complex' in management lost its prestige: the old personal rule of industrial geniuses and 'captains of industry' was seen to be inadequate for a more scientific age of large enterprise.
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In 1923, ambition seems to be the meaning:

"The Villager," Volumes 6-7, 1923, p. 19 (http://ow.ly/88xIr)

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Vanity is sometimes another face of ambition. Mr. Lloyd George suffers from no Napoleon complex; he is no Caesar. When Napoleon fell, the world breathed freely. Roosevelt set Americans talking nervously of the extension of the Presidential power; when Mr. Wilson was defeated,…
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And again in 1927:

"The American mercury," Volume 11, Henry Louis Mencken, George Jean Nathan, Knopf, 1927, p. 498 (http://ow.ly/88xRp)

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It is thus that we have the Napoleon complex in countless business men, the Valentino complex in innumerable fake cavaliers, the Nietzsche complex in various
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Perhaps it has changing to the meaning of "little man complex" in 1930:

"American magazine," Volume 110, Frank Leslie Pub. House, 1930, p. 111 (http://ow.ly/88xTj)

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        "I suppose you'd rather forfeit the game than try the one football genius on the campus," I spoke up, too nervous to be timid.
        "You mean that streak of yellow with the Napoleon complex?" said Joe sourly.
        " I mean Nipper."
        "Alexander is being disciplined," said Mr. Sanders decisively.
        "Yes, and what for? " I burst out. " For getting dope on Brannon's game which…"
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By 1931, it seems that psychologists had developed this concept:

"Hot News," Emile Gauvreau, The Macaulay company, 1931 (http://ow.ly/88xZB)

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I developed what psycho-analysts would call a Napoleon Complex. I made up my mind to stamp the imprint of my personality upon the world.
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4. Napoleon syndrome

The earliest "Napoleon syndrome" appears in GB is 1973. The meaning seems to mean simply a high level of charisma:

"Organizational behavior and the practice of management," David R. Hampton, Charles Edgar Summer, Ross A. Webber; Scott, Foresman, 1973 (http://ow.ly/88y86)

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Influence by Blind Faith
Influence through blind faith is a kind of Alexander or Napoleon syndrome. One responds to the great leader who has "charisma" (Weber, 1964).
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What looks like a red herring comes in 1980:

Popo: a novel," Rosser Reeves , Vanguard Press, 1980, p. 202 (http://ow.ly/88ydn)

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He scratched his belly (The Napoleon Syndrome!) and then said:...
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Then in 1982, "little" and "Napoleon" come together!

"Mind, Mood, and Medicine: A Guide to the New Biopsychiatry," Paul H. Wender, Donald F. Klein, Penguin Group USA, 1982, p. 228 (http://ow.ly/88yiY)

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Everyone is acquainted with the little-Napoleon syndrome, in which men of short stature act pompous, overbearing, condescending. Some people attempt to compensate for various physical or mental deficiencies by acquiring possessions,...
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A couple of other hits come up. The first clear case of "Napoleon syndrome" (without "little") in GB meaning "little man syndrome" appears to be 1988:

"The tyranny of malice: exploring the dark side of character and culture," Joseph H. Berke, Summit Books, 1988, p. 125 (http://ow.ly/88yC6)

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Most boys and men are obsessed with being bigger, stronger, and more powerful than others, even if they have to conquer the world. This is an expression of "the small penis complex," or "the Napoleon syndrome."
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5. small penis complex

The earliest example in GB is 1971:

"Medical aspects of human sexuality," Volume 5, Issues 1-6, Hospital Publications, 1971, p. 22 (http://ow.ly/88yFC)

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Comparison with previous lovers Another source of insecurity for many men might be termed the "small-penis syndrome." A concern expressed by many a young man is that his penis is not as long as that of others.
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It is clearer in 1973 or 1974:

"The Psychoanalytic quarterly," Volume 43, Psychoanalytic Quarterly Press, 1974, p. 87 (http://ow.ly/88yFC, http://ow.ly/88yIg)

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While Greenacre's chief emphasis is on the impostor's identity problems, she also comments on his pathological narcissism. She notes the impostor's small penis syndrome and his need to appear as a 'great lover', and relates this need to feelings of inadequacy due to trying to assume a manly role too early in life.
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This was evidently separately coined in 1979:

"Beneath mate selection and marriage: the unconscious motives in human pairing," David Klimek, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1979 (http://ow.ly/88yL3)

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While I was supervising family and individual therapists in training, we facetiously coined the "small penis syndrome" to describe the behavior of men who try to evaluate others via subtle questioning: What kind of car do you have?
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A few more hits appear referring to actual penis size and other meanings. 2003 appears to be the first hit in GB synonymous with"little man syndrome":

"Prosecuted Innocence," Kreig W. Vens, iUniverse, 2003, p. 114 (http://ow.ly/88ySg)

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        "Why does this guy hate me?"
        Cindy pinched her thumb and forefinger together. “It's the small penis syndrome.” Trystin trapped a laugh in his throat. “You need to be quiet. I can't answer your questions and deal with what's going on here at the same time. I'll explain it all when we're done."
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Benjamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

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