Graphology is the study of handwriting and what it can tell about the mind behind it.
When a person writes, it's his hand that does the writing, but his brain that does the dictating. There have been many cases of amputees who, having lost the hand or arm with which they wrote, relearned the art with either the other hand, or the feet, or the mouth. Aside from a certain understandable shakiness caused by the difficulties of the feat, the writings were extremely similar to the originals. Trained graphologists had no trouble recognizing the same individual.
From this, we see that it is the personality that is expressed on paper by the handwriting. When a person writes in a given fashion, it represents a particular personality trait, which comes directly from the brain. Thus graphology shows the most in-depth parts of the personality.
For example, it does not reveal the age or sex of the writer, but it does show his (or her) maturity and whether his (or her) personality traits are predominantly masculine or feminine. A fifty-year-old man or a ten-year-old child may produce mature writing, because it is the level of maturity that makes itself known not the chronological age. Similarly, some graphological signs point to a "masculine" type of personality, but many women write that way-and vice versa. Some graphologists do attempt to reveal these two factors of age or sex, but they are correct only 60 percent of the time, as compared to being 90-95 percent correct when dealing with psychological analysis.
Years ago, graphologists used to look for a common denominator in the handwriting of groups of people known to display a certain character trait. Having found it, they would conclude that everyone whose handwriting shows this particular idiosyncrasy must possess the same personality trait. If, among five hundred people, the majority wrote a t bar flung to the right and had violent personalities, then it was assumed that every writer of a t bar flung rightward had a violent personality.
This was known as the empirical method. Although modern-day graphologists do not totally disagree with this method, they do believe that empirical facts must be handled with care. The fact that the majority of the people in a particular group write a certain way is not proof that all do. It is only an indication, a hint of what else to look for. A single handwriting trait must be only one part of a total analysis and is useful only as a brushstroke in creating the total picture.
The following is a general list of what the graphologist will look for when doing an analysis.
1. Direction (slant) of writing
2. Zones
3. t bars
4. i dots
5. Sexuality
6. Base line
7. Margins
8. Beginning and end strokes
9. Connected and disconnected writing
10. Forms of connection
11. Pressure
12. Loops
13. Letters
14. Personality traits
15. Signature
16. Physical health
The graphologist takes all the above evidence and puts it together, producing the final analysis. This will be discussed in the following chapters in more detail.
Note, please, that this course is geared in particular to the American subject. It applies to other nationalities only insofar as their national forms of handwriting are also taken into consideration. American students are taught to write with a slight inclination to the right, and I have allowed for this throughout the course. If the person whose writing you want to analyze is from some other country, you must know the slant of writing natural in his homeland and adjust the standard that will be used there to that angle. If, for example, he went to school in England, where students are taught to write at an upright angle, you must give somewhat more emphasis if his writing slants to the right than I have given here and somewhat less if his writing slants to the left.
Examination for Lesson 1
1. What is graphology?
2. Does a handwriting sample reveal the sex and age of the writer?
Yes? ___ No? ___
3. What degree of accuracy is attributed to trained graphologists? (What percent)
4. What is the empirical method?
5. Are all Anglo-Saxon's taught a similar writing slant in school?
Answers for Lesson 1
1. Graphology is the study of handwriting and what it can tell about the mind behind it.
2. No
3. 90-95 percent
4. Graphologists used to look for a common denominator in the handwriting of groups of people known to display a certain character trait. Having found it, they would conclude that everyone whose handwriting shows this particular idiosyncrasy must possess the same personality trait. If, among five hundred people, the majority wrote a t bar flung to the right and had violent personalities, then it was assumed that every writer of a t bar flung rightward had a violent personality.
This was known as the empirical method.
5. No
Joel Engel is the author of "Handwriting Analysis Self-Taught" (Penguin Books)
If you would like to view the images to this article, please send a blank email to mailto:engraph@netvision.net.il" engraph@netvision.net.il
