Neatness and tidiness

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Neatness and tidiness are personality traits which involve the organization of things into a state of order and symmetry in the world, as contrasted to disorder and randomness. Tidiness is commonly associated with other qualities such as cleanliness and diligence, and is generally considered to be a desirable quality.

Tidiness, and the associated desire for order and symmetry, is generally considered to be a positive attribute. However, an excessive desire for tidiness can be associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Freud associated excessive concern about neatness and tidiness with what he referred to as the anal personality, although this theory is now generally regarded as obsolete.