Pedant and pedantry: what does it mean?

The attitude towards pedants in society is ambiguous. Some admire their utmost accuracy and precision in everything, while others are annoyed. And the pedants themselves often become hostages of their way of life. What is the essence of pedantry, how to recognize a pedant and what to do about it, this article will tell you.

Pedantry or pedantry - a certain personality trait, a qualitative characteristic. This definition in psychology means a tendency towards order and extreme accuracy in everything that a person does: in work, everyday life, in personal and social relationships. The term comes from the French word pedant - teacher, as well as from the Latin pedagogans - teacher, teacher. The word came to the lexicon of Russian-speaking people at the time of fashion for teachers from France, tutors and governesses. That was the name of a mentor who was too demanding, uncompromising and indulgent.

Pedantry is a characteristic personality trait that affects all spheres of human life. Pedantic man differs from the perfectionist, there are a number of differences from scrupulousness. People with pedantry are characterized by diligence and a tendency towards formalism. They are very neat and only feel comfortable in perfect order when they act according to predetermined rules.

For pedantic people, there are no unimportant little things. They try to do everything, not to forget anything, and little things, which many do not pay attention to, with pedantry acquire a dominant importance. Any interference in the order of affairs and actions, which the pedant considers correct, is met with displeasure.

Psychology often considers pedantry as one of the sides of narcissism, after all, all the efforts that a person makes, in fact, are aimed at being pleased with himself, even if the actions of the pedant are incomprehensible to others, they seem inappropriate, bizarre to them.

An extremely accurate person is called a pedant. This is a person who will not allow a single extra detail in clothes, he is always neat, neat, scrupulous both in matters of his image and in everything he deals with. The meaning of the word is not negative, and therefore it is erroneous to write down all pedants in the category of persons with disabilities. And the external manifestations of the pedantic type of character are different. In some, they are smoothed out, while in others they are striking.

For the pedant himself, his characteristic trait can be very useful.... Accuracy, diligence in work, the habit of always coming up to the minute is highly valued in any professional environment. In some professions, for example, in law or finance, without such precision, there is no place at all. but in a number of spheres of life, the pedant has a difficult time.

A woman with pedantry she can be too focused on cleanliness in the apartment, and she simply will not have time for other areas of her life. Man it is difficult to build personal relationships with this type of character, since he will invariably demand order in everything and from the second half. If two pedants meet, things can get even worse, since each of them will have their own clear ideas about the order, and the two value systems may not coincide at all, then both partners will begin to suffer.

It's pretty easy to recognize a pedant. He always looks like a brand. His wardrobe may not be fashionable and trendy, but all things will be impeccably clean, fresh and ironed. You will not notice chaos in your hair or accessories. For a pedant, it is very important what impression his image will make on others, and therefore such people try to avoid flashy brightness. It is important for them to feel comfortable, to know that they have followed all the rules.

Pedants are demanding of themselves... They all try to plan in advance, strictly follow the established plans. The formalism inherent in pedantic personalities often interferes with quick adaptation.

It is difficult to name the merits or demerits of pedantry. It all depends on the degree of manifestation of this trait and on who evaluates it. If we talk about some averaged estimation system, then to positive the qualities of pedants include their responsibility, commitment, diligence. Any assignment and business will be carried out by a pedant on time. This contributes to professional growth and a successful career. Pedants are disciplined, they always bring the job started to its logical conclusion. They can be entrusted with the most important projects and businesses. Everything will be done in strict accordance with the instructions, in accordance with all the rules, on time.

Minuses consist in a certain categorical nature inherent in all pedantic personalities. They are convinced that their rules are correct and beyond question. If a person is also capable of persistently defending his position, then it becomes difficult for pedants to avoid conflicts.

Most pedants tend to slow down the neuropsychic processes, they rarely make quick decisions, they can cling to little things and details, slowing down themselves and others.It is difficult for them in situations where clear instructions are not established, and they need to act according to the circumstances. The desire to control all areas of his life makes the pedant always in tension.

By its nature, pedantry can be moderate and excessive, with a lot of options degree of manifestation: from mild to obsessive.

Often, excessive pedantry leads to the development of diseases: neurosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder. In this case, the state becomes obsessive. A person can fall into aggression if someone or something violates the order established by him. A cup standing in the wrong place, the inability to wash his hands here and now can lead him into a state of heightened anxiety, make him lose his temper for a long time.

Painful pedants are called anankastami... They are characterized by constant mental return to the disturbing object or action. With a mild degree of manifestation, a person can successfully socialize in society, but severe degrees require the obligatory help of a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, since independent integration into society is difficult or impossible.

Moderate pedantry is considered an important business quality. It is a rational state that a person can control. Even if the order is violated, the person does not experience suffering in this regard, only a small discomfort, which he, you can be sure, will hasten to immediately eliminate.

A pedant differs from a perfectionist in that for him form is more important than content.... The main task a pedant sees following instructions, rules, maintaining order. This is his inner need. For the perfectionist, content is more important than the form in which it is clothed. He may despise instructions and violate deadlines for the sole purpose of achieving the best possible result, even if it requires rewriting all laws and regulations from scratch.

The perfectionist may not care whether the dishes in his house are clean, whether he looks neat, and this is the fundamental difference between him and the pedant. The attention to detail inherent in pedants, the perfectionist begins to apply only when there is a threat to reputation, in order to get a positive assessment from others.

A perfectionist strives for success in big things and undertakings, it is important for a pedant to do small, small things correctly and accurately. This difference is especially noticeable in business. A perfectionist manager will easily tolerate the inaccuracies of employees in doing business, only the result is important to him. The chief pedant will require that each document be compiled to the point exactly, without corrections.

But there are some common features:

• an increased level of anxiety;
• certain rigidity and lack of flexibility, weak adaptability;
• long periods of experiencing any traumatic situations, especially your own mistakes;
• hesitations and doubts about the quality and correctness of actions, self-criticism.

This question is relevant for those who would like to increase personal efficiency, and therefore consider it necessary to use the positive aspects of pedantry.... Even a talented person with great ambitions cannot reach great heights if he does not learn to be neat and obligatory, executive and attentive to details. Here are some tips to help you develop your best pedants.

1. Make it a rule to plan your day ahead every night, from your to-do list to your work list. Try to stick to your plans unswervingly, making adjustments only in the most extreme cases.
2. Put things in order in the apartment, put everything in its place. This will help to feel the inner order, to organize. Use special apps to keep your home tidy. They will remind you according to the established schedule when it is time to dust off, mop the floors or water the flowers.
3. Try to go nowhere and never be late. Include in your plans a little more time for the road, preparation, if there is at least a minimal risk that you may be late.
4. Avoid being emotional. Watch your speech, tone, wording, do not be wordy and intemperate.
5. Spend at least an hour a day with your appearance: hairstyle, make-up, putting in order of clothes and shoes, workouts, cosmetic procedures.

It is more difficult to stop being a meticulous pedant with excessive pedantry, and in the case of a painful manifestation, you cannot do without the help of specialists. If it has not yet come to a serious disorder, it's time to work on yourself. Here are some basic guidelines for such a case.

• Be patient with people... Everyone is different, and no one is obliged to treat order in the same way, to be neat and attentive. If you feel that everything is "boiling" inside, exhale, take a deep breath and quickly say to yourself some of the obvious merits of the person on whom you were going to unleash your anger just a minute ago. This will help you quickly change your point of view and prevent conflict.
• Determine what you spend the most time and energy on. Observing and recording the time spent will show what little things "eat up" it. Reduce costs, and use the freed up time to improve your competence, to personal growth or additional education, self-improvement.
• Learn to accept mistakes not as a disaster, but as an experience. Get something positive and useful out of them. Analyze each such case, but avoid criticizing yourself.
• Artificially introduce a small amount of chaos into your life... Ask friends or relatives, colleagues at work to monitor you, not to give you a couple of days to clean up the table or bookshelf, as you did before. Nothing will happen to the books in a couple of days. When you understand that life does not change from this, does not collapse, the attitude towards trifles will become more tolerant.
• Find a hobby or come back to it if you abandoned it. It will help you learn to relax, enjoy your leisure time.