“He's such a pedant!” - they are talking about some employee, having in mind his meticulousness and diligence, the desire to deeply understand the matter. The same eater is given the same definition, striving to comply with all the requirements of the leadership, often without delving into the essence. Of course, in the first case, intonation is approving, and in the second - condemning. So can one say about pedantry that such a property of character is worthy of imitation? In which cases is she good and in which not? What does pedantry mean for those around and near?
Like any personal characteristic, scrupulousness is good in moderation even when it has found worthy application. If a person treats the assigned business with full responsibility, and especially when he occupies a position requiring strict observance of official instructions, then we can confidently say that this is good pedantry, that such a quality can only be welcomed. An example is the accuracy of observance of the rules by lawyers, notaries, pharmacists and representatives of other professions that require an absolute rejection of any initiative. It’s a good habit to always arrive on time. Only good words deserve the habit of dressing neatly.
However, an excessive desire for scrupulous observance of some rituals, most often invented independently, may indicate a painful state of mind. Psychiatry uses the term “anancastic psychopathy, ” that is, unhealthy pedantry. What is anancastism and how to recognize it?
Like many other mental illnesses, excessive pedantry is not easy to diagnose. Outwardly, a person looks completely healthy, and only with long communication can you notice some oddities of his behavior that seem quite harmless. These include, for example, the expenditure of an unreasonably long time on work, most often homework, which other people will do quickly. If the anancast is going to cook buckwheat porridge, then he will sort out the croup for an hour or more, without experiencing any discomfort from the tediousness of his occupation. The dishes will be washed several times. Leaving the house, he will repeatedly check how well the cranes are closed, whether the gas stove and electrical appliances are turned off, while doing several laps in his own apartment. To the attempts of others, even jokingly, to say about pedantry that such quality is good in moderation, the Anancast reacts quite aggressively.
For work that is not associated with increased meticulous requirements, this quality can be bad. Having perfectly completed several instructions of the leadership, such an employee can be imprudently promoted, and here his character traits will manifest in all their glory, the pedant will take this as an encouragement of thoughtlessness and blindly following instructions, and then he will not say hello to everyone, especially his immediate subordinates.
As for the ability to make independent decisions, which is so necessary for each leader, then in this case it should not be expected. Any non-standard situation will put the Anancaste pedant in a state of deaf stupor, and until he gets the approval of a higher authority, the matter will stand, but in this case he will make all possible efforts to relieve himself of responsibility.
