I either listened to or read an interview with Andy Weir where he said that he was aiming for just such a flawed protagonist in PHM. I think he felt the Watney character was criticized for being the fantasy self-projection of a certain variety of nerd/geek (a variety that is over-represented on HN) and so he decided to try to make a hero who was not as likable, brave, or self-sacrificing as people like to think they are.