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Graphology
Graphology Defined and How it Works
Graphology is defined as the scientific
study of handwriting to determine personality traits. Since the 17th century, researchers have
linked human character to handwriting patterns. Graphology is an empirical
science that offers a direct link to human personality. The conscious and
subconscious minds are revealed through hundreds of handwriting aspects by
the complex coordination of nerves, body, and mind function. It could more
accurately be referred to as "mind writing." Your writing is as unique as
your fingerprints. Handwriting is an
expression of the true self.
Graphology is
so informative because it reveals subconscious character, the real
personality, not just the persona and the one seen when a person is at his
or her best.
Handwriting Analysis is More Effective Than
Self-report Personality Tests
The problem with fill-in-the-blanks and multiple choice
question personality tests, the self-report kind, is that
the person who is taking the test inevitably figures out
the intent of the questions and answers how he or she
thinks they should answer to score appropriately.
Whether is it to obtain a job, advance within a company,
or for some other reason, the questions aren't always
answered honestly.
Everyone wants to present themselves in the best light
possible and since
self-report tests can be manipulated, a more
objective alternative is necessary.
Self-report personality tests are best used only as
supplements to other, more reliable forms of assessment,
such as handwriting analysis.
Handwriting
analysis is so useful because the results can't be
manipulated, it helps saves you the hassle and
expense of hiring the wrong employees, and it's an
effective tool to help improve workplace morale
and productivity by identifying true strengths,
challenges, and compatibility.
The U.S. Library of Congress catalogues graphology
(handwriting analysis) books in the psychology, document
examination, and personnel screening categories.
"Graphologist" (handwriting analyst) is listed in the U.S.
Department of Labor's Directory of
Occupational Titles
(DOT) as "miscellaneous professional."
Handwriting Analysis- 6 Concerns Addressed
5 More Handwriting Analysis Concerns Addressed
In Support of Handwriting Analysis
Click
here for easy to use Graphology (handwriting analysis) Resource Keys and
Graphology Trait-Based Guide. Resource Key 1:
Subconscious Fears and Defense Mechanisms--Dealing With Conscious and
Unconscious Apprehension (45 related personality traits listed!).
Resource Key 2: Love Compatibility--Important Areas of Concern (38
related personality traits listed!). Resource Key 3:
Drug
and Alcohol Abuse--Warning Signs (16 related personality traits listed!).
Resource Key 4: Dishonesty and Integrity--Important Areas of Concern (16
related personality traits listed!).
The
Graphology Trait-Based Guide includes comprehensive information about
dozens and dozens of handwriting traits (more than 170 graphology traits
listed in all!) and displays illustrations for hard-to visualize aspects.
History
Interest in the connection between handwriting and
personality dates back to over 2000 years ago. Aristotle remarked,
“Spoken words are the symbols of mental experience and written words are the symbols
of spoken words. Just as all men do not have the same speech sounds, so do all men
not have the same writing.”
In 1622 Italian scholar Camillo Baldi published the first
book on handwriting analysis, “How to Judge the Nature and the Character
of a Person
From His Letter."
The term graphology was coined in 1875 by two French
priests, Abbe Flandrin and Jean-Hypolyte Michon. Their publications on
handwriting analysis in the late 1800’s were the most scholarly and in-depth
work done up to that time; their research contributed greatly to the field
of handwriting analysis.
Discrimination and Graphology
Graphology has been used regularly in
U.S. courts since the late 1800’s. Legal precedents have been set regarding
handwriting analysis. One court ruled that handwriting is “behavior in
public” and that using it as the basis of personality analysis cannot be
judged as an invasion of privacy. U.S. vs. Hazelwood School District 534 F
2nd 805 states that graphology is “not precluded in hiring if it is related
to the job." A graphologist is unable to distinguish age, race, sex, and
marital status from a handwriting sample. Graphology is probably the most
non-discriminatory method of personality profiling in existence today.
Application of Graphology
Graphology can be used to identify personality strengths and challenges,
to determine reliability, to display ability, talent, and intelligence,
as a hiring tool--it allows you to select the right person
for the job, to evaluate management or sales potential, to evaluate compatibility,
to understand management or sales style, to detect leadership ability, to evaluate employees for promotions,
as a tool for career guidance, as an aid in negotiations, and in numerous other ways.
It's also
interesting to note that handwriting analysis can identify if a person is
blocking prosperity in their life. Although a person may consciously feel
that they deserve more abundance, their subconscious (which dominates the
conscious mind) may feel like they don't deserve it, thus they unconsciously
sabotage circumstances in their lives that equate to having more money. The
same dynamic applies to other areas in life, including relationships.
Relating to romantic relationships, a good handwriting
analysis can tell you if a person fears commitment, avoids
conflict, lacks a good sense of discernment (necessary to
identify and understand personality and relationship
issues), is emotionally mature or immature, is impulsive,
fears intimacy, is restless, is self-conscious, lacks
self-esteem and ego strength, has an excessive interest or
disinterest in sex, fears success, fears trusting others,
has a tendency to withdraw, and much more.
Graphology Q&A
Q: Who uses graphology?
A: Graphology is more extensively used by European and Israeli
businesses than by American organizations. It's common for major corporations in Italy,
Spain, France, and Israel to regularly use graphology for personnel selection. American
companies that use it include giants like G.E., Ford, Pepsi, Northwestern
Mutual Life, Quaker Oats, Dairy Queen, H&R Block, and many smaller
companies. Also, personal usage of graphology has empowered countless
individuals with profound personality and compatibility awareness.
Q: What are some other uses of graphology?
A: Some other uses of graphology include the
following: use it to decide which person to hire as your accountant, who you
should hire as your
baby-sitter, who you should go into business with, who you should date, who you should
trust, and innumerable other applications. It can also be used, among other ways, for
family relations, group dynamic analysis, self-help, personal growth, and to help modify
personality traits through a process called graphotherapy involving
handwriting exercises. Although a graphologist must be very careful to avoid
suggesting handwriting alterations that tinker with personality defenses or
those that signify excessive character modifications, it is possible to
change subconscious programming to some degree through altering handwriting.
Q: What are some of the personality traits that graphology identifies?
A: Graphology is extremely reliable in revealing
information about personality traits and it is also very useful in
compatibility analysis. The following are some of the personality areas with
which Scott works.
Social Skills: dependability; modesty; consistent personality; defiance;
inflexibility; extroversion; ability to trust; generosity; outspokenness; social maturity;
sophistication; vanity; overly critical; tolerance; dependence; compliance; spontaneity;
sensitivity to criticism; self-consciousness; timidity; insensitivity; and more.
Personal Dynamics: persistence; victim mentality; ambition; vitality;
assertiveness/competitiveness; initiative; confusion of interest; fear of failure;
excessive independence; cautiousness; self-confidence; bluff; ego strength; domineering
behavior; and more.
Emotional Foundation: sensitivity; depth; responsiveness; control;
expressiveness; balance; maturity; repression; optimism; pessimism; moodiness;
irritability; resentment; withdrawal; worry; and more.
Intellect/Mentality: logical thinking; intuitive thinking; ability to make
distinctions; superficial thinking; inquisitiveness; analytical ability; quick
comprehension; naiveté; rationalization; stubbornness; decision-making ability;
indecisiveness; abstract thinking; tangible thinking; imagination; clear thinking;
fantasy-orientation; visionary thinking; original thinking; idealism; memory;
past-orientation; present-orientation; future-orientation; and more.
Communication Skills: verbal facility; listening ability;
desire to communicate; fear of expression; reticence; sincerity; diplomacy; sarcasm; evasiveness;
secretiveness; discretion; exaggeration; argumentativeness; conflict avoidance;
persuasiveness; empathy; and more.
Motivations: material/financial; ego needs; personal accomplishment;
leadership; approval; constructive challenge; social involvement; practical interests;
security; knowledge/theory; creativity; pleasure; and more.
Work Habits: determination; discipline; restlessness; follow-through;
organizational skills; big picture outlook; attention to detail; perfectionism;
concentration; patience; independence; procrastination; adaptability; time management;
ability to cope with stress; problem solving ability; simplification of issues;
objectivity; team player aptitude; and more.
Additional Areas: substance abuse risk;
self-deception; honesty; and more.
Q: How does a well-trained graphologist provide accurate personality profiles?
A: Accuracy in graphology demands that the
context of the entire writing sample be considered and that all individual
aspects and parts of the script must be interpreted independently and then
built into a complete picture describing the personality. The collective
body of traits in a handwriting sample (over 300 in all) either supports and
intensifies, or mitigates the energy of any one individual aspect.
Q: How accurate is graphology?
A: Handwriting analysis can’t reveal
everything. It can’t always predict the attitude a person will take or the exact
choices they will make. Graphology does show, however, how a person acts, feels and
thinks. It symbolizes a person’s state of mind and personality at the time of
writing, signifies past behavior and shows potential for future conduct. It is
important to note that no single form of personality analysis is 100% accurate.
Well-trained graphologists often offer at least 80% accuracy in personality analysis.
Scott consistently offers a minimum of 90% accuracy in his graphological personality
profiles.
Q: Is it true you can effectively analyze character from a signature?
A: Trying to analyze handwriting accurately from
a signature alone is like trying to describe what a person looks like based
on a photo of only their eyes.
Q: How much handwriting does a graphologist need to do an analysis?
A: It is best if the analyst has at least a page
of handwriting to work with. The sample should be dated, written
spontaneously on unlined paper with a ballpoint pen and then signed at the
end. If the person usually prints, at least a paragraph of cursive should be
written.
Q: What are some of the aspects in a handwriting
sample that a well-trained graphologist considers?
A: The following are some important aspects to consider when analyzing a
handwriting sample: baseline; capitals; connectives; connectivity; consistency;
contradictions in script; compression; contraction/expansiveness; down-strokes; ductus;
elaboration; expansion; finals; fluidity; form; harmony; hooks; jabs; knots;
lead-ins; legibility; loops; margins; movement; organization; originality;
personal pronoun I; pressure; retracing; rhythm; shading; signature;
simplicity; size; slant; overall arrangement and picture of space; letter,
word and line spacing; speed; spirals; tension; ties; zonal balance and much
more.
Q: Have any accredited scientific studies been done involving handwriting
analysis?
A: Yes. Below are some instances of scientific research regarding
graphology:
Broern, W. Graphology and Its Importance In Current Medical Psychology;
Medizinische
Klinik, Hamburg, 66, 6, 1971.
Hearns, R. The use of graphology in criminology; Criminal
Psychopathology, 3, 461-464, 1972.
Ianetta, Kimon and Reed Hayes, James F. Craine, Ph.D. & Dennis G. McLaughlin,
Ph.D. Facilitating Assessment of Dangerousness by Using Characteristics of Handwriting;
Hawaii, 1992.
Nevo, Baruch. National Institute of Testing & Evaluation,
University of Haifa.
Graphology Validation Studies in Israel: Summary of 15 years of Activity; International
Association for Applied Psychology, Jerusalem, July, 1986.
Nevo, Baruch. Yes, graphology can predict occupational success: Rejoinder
to Ben Shakhar, Et Al; Perceptual and Motor Skills, 66, 92-94, 1988.
Pearl, R. The value of handwriting in neurological examination; The
Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 41, 1, 200-2004, 1974.
For a more extensive listing of scientific studies involving
handwriting analysis, please contact Scott by email.
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