Characteristics of OCPD

1. making lists out of everything
2. rigidity in thought - mentally inflexible
3. strict adherence to tradition and morality
4. focus on the trees - ignore the forest
5. dogmatism
6. rules are of highest value
7. preoccupation with order 
8. preoccupation with control
9. hoarding stuff that does not have sentimental value

what's interesting is that the Obsessive Compulsive Personality disorder may not themselves be very neat and organized to an outside observer.  What matters is the obsession with an organization which may or may not be apparent, even to the ocpd himself.

the OCPD person strictly and unquestioningly adheres to an internal set of rules which he may or may not have been solely responsible for creating.  This set of rules more often than not is a conglomerate of past experiences, the individual's reaction to them, and the subsequent set of conclusions.

The actual set of rules that one follows is irrelevant to the OCPD.  What is relevant to OCPD is the approach.

DSM-IV defines OCPD as follows:

A. A pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

1.  Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost. 
2. Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met). 
3. Is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity). 
4. Is overconscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification). 
5. Is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value. 
6. Is reluctant to delegate tasks or to work with others unless they submit to exactly his or her way of doing things. 
7.  Adopts a miserly spending style toward both self and others; money is viewed as something to be hoarded for future catastrophes. 
8. Shows rigidity and stubbornness.

DSM-5 has the following definition:

The essential features of a personality disorder are impairments in personality (self and interpersonal) functioning and the presence of pathological personality traits. To diagnose obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, the following criteria must be met:

1. Significant impairments in personality functioning manifest by:
   1. Impairments in self functioning (a or b):
      1. Identity: Sense of self derived predominantly from work or productivity; constricted experience and expression of strong emotions. li> Self-direction: Difficulty completing tasks and realizing goals associated with rigid and unreasonably high and inflexible internal standards of behavior; overly conscientious and moralistic attitudes. AND
   2. Impairments in Interpersonal functioning (a or b):
      1. Empathy: Difficulty understanding and appreciating the ideas, feelings, or behaviors of others.
      2. Intimacy: Relationships seen as secondary to work and productivity; rigidity and stubbornness negatively affect relationships with others.
2. Pathological personality traits in the following domains:
   1. Compulsivity, characterized by:
      1. Rigid perfectionism: Rigid insistence on everything being flawless, perfect, without errors or faults, including one's own and others' performance; sacrificing of timeliness to ensure correctness in every detail; believing that there is only one right way to do things; difficulty changing ideas and/or viewpoint; preoccupation with details, organization, and order.
   2. Negative Affectivity, characterized by:
      1. Perseveration: Persistence at tasks long after the behavior has ceased to be functional or effective; continuance of the same behavior despite repeated failures.
3. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual‟s personality trait expression are relatively stable across time and consistent across situations.
4. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual‟s personality trait expression are not better understood as normative for the individual‟s developmental stage or socio-cultural environment.
5. The impairments in personality functioning and the individual‟s personality trait expression are not solely due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., severe head trauma).