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It is a scientific method of identifying, evaluating, and understanding a person's personality via the strokes and patterns revealed by his handwriting. It is not document examining, which is when a person examines a sample of writing to determine the author. Document examining is often used in forgery cases. In document examining, no comment of character or personality is derived from the handwriting. Back to TopDo the terms graphology, handwriting analysis, and Graphoanalysis mean the same thing?
Not in America. Although, graphology and handwriting analysis have been used for centuries to describe evaluating personality through the study of handwriting, a few distinctions have arisen in the past 50 years.
Back to TopWhat can be told about a person from his handwriting?Handwriting reveals hundreds of elements of the person's "personality and character," which include glimpses into the subconscious mind, emotional responsiveness, intellect, energy, fears and defenses, motivations, imagination, integrity, aptitudes, and even sex drives and issues of trust. There are over 100 individual traits revealed and an unlimited number of combinations. Back to TopWhat can one NOT tell from handwriting analysis?It cannot identify age, gender, race, religion, whether a person is right- or left-handed, or the future. Back to TopHow does handwriting reveal personality?Handwriting is often referred to as "brain writing." Research scientists in the fields of neuro-science have categorized neuro-muscular movement tendencies as they are correlated with specific observable personality traits. Each personality trait is represented by a neurological brain pattern. Each neurological brain pattern produces a unique neuro-muscular movement that is the same for every person who has that personality trait. When writing, these tiny movements occur unconsciously. Each written movement or stroke reveals a specific personality trait.
Back to TopHow accurate is handwriting analysis?It is only as accurate as the analyst is talented. Most professionals claim to be 85-95% accurate. Compared to other personality assessment tools and tests, handwriting analysis is sometimes more accurate and much more revealing. When answering psychological questions in person or on paper, a person may consciously or unconsciously answer according to how he thinks he should answer rather than giving an honest reply. The clinical research is divided as to the validity of handwriting analysis. Again, it depends on who you ask. Back to TopHow old is handwriting analysis?Research has found references to handwriting analysis as far back as 4500 BC. In 99 AD, the Roman historian Suetonius studied Emperor Augustus' personality from his handwriting. The first handwriting analysis book was published in 1622 by Camildo Baldo. Most pioneering research was performed before 1929 in Europe. The modern scientific method of analyzing individual strokes in handwriting began in 1915 by Milton Bunker. Back to TopIs handwriting analysis a science or an art?It is a clinical science. The Library of Congress categorized it as a credible social science in 1981. It is not a hard science like chemistry. It falls under the same category as psychology. Back to TopWho uses handwriting analysis?Anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of themselves and others: * Individuals for self-improvement: they gain a better understanding of themselves and often incorporate aspects of grapho-therapy to change bad habits. * Single people to aid in the selection of compatible partners. * Couples to improve current relationships through better understanding and communication. * All people of all ages in the work force for career counseling. * Employers for personnel selection. * The courts for forgery and questioned documents. * Attorneys to aid the jury selection process. * Law enforcement in investigating evidence involving handwritten notes. * Businesses for credit rating assistance. * Psychologists for personality evaluation and therapy.Back to TopWhat about people who print?
It is a generality, but worth answering. People who print have put up a barrier to keep the world from getting to know them. They do not easily express their inner-most feelings. People who print take longer to experience intimacy and tend to have a strong external protective mental shell that is often seen as confidence.
Back to TopWhat about people who have a combination of both printing and cursive?
People that mix and match both cursive and print are quite normal. It indicates a tendency to be in a hurry and be flexible given unusual circumstances. Too much printing - or block printing - indicates a barrier to intimacy and inability to express feelings.
Back to TopWhy does my handwriting change from day to day?Certain strokes represent emotions and moods. As your feelings and moods change from minute to minute, those corresponding particular strokes will change. However, the basic character-defining traits will remain the same. And, if you "really" have a total variation in handwriting styles, you are one moody person and should cut down on the sugar snacks. Back to TopWhat can be told from a person's signature?The signature represents what a person wants the world to see or what he wants to be, an image that may or may not be the same as the inner self. Because a signature contains only a few letters, it does not provide enough information for the analyst to make a complete and accurate evaluation. Back to TopMy signature is illegible. What does that mean?It means people have a hard time reading your name. Seriously, illegible handwriting can mean a number of things. In general, an illegible signature reveals a desire to be seen but not known, keeping things private.
Back to TopWhy is my signature different than how I write everything else?Because the signature is a badge to the world. It is a representation of what a person wants the world to see about himself. A signature that is different from the rest of his writing says he does not want to reveal everything about himself. There may be some aspect of his personality that he wants to hide, so he creates a new "person" by creating a signature with a different look. Back to TopDo you analyze the writing of a left-handed person the same as a right-handed person?Yes. Whether a person writes with the right or left hand, the traits revealed will be the same. Even people that have learned to write with their mouth or foot, due to amputations of their limbs, reveal the same information from their "brain writing." Back to TopWhy do left-handed people slant their letters backwards?The question contains an invalid presupposition... not all left-handed people slant backwards. Back to TopAre there "good" and "bad" traits?Traits are neither "good" nor "bad" in themselves. They just "are." Our judgment of whether or not the trait is useful in a given situation makes us label these traits "good" or "bad." However, each trait can have both negative and positive features depending on how the trait manifests itself in behavior as it combines with other aspects of one's personality. Handwriting analysis does not judge or label. It serves to identify and understand aspects of personality and behavior. Back to TopIs handwriting analysis an invasion of privacy?No, but it could make someone feel a little naked. Seriously, the Supreme Court, in 1977, "United States v. Sydney Rosinsky" (FRP249), ruled: "What someone's handwriting looks like is considered public information -- similar to, for example, how someone dresses or their body language, and the psychological analysis that can be extracted from the information is not considered an invasion of privacy." Back to TopHow prevalent is handwriting analysis in companies for employee screening?Since the outlawing of the lie detector test (polygraph machine) as a prospective employee screening tool in the United States in 1988, the use of handwriting analysis has been on the rise as part of the hiring process.
Back to TopCan handwriting reveal a person's honesty?There is no single trait that indicates honesty. However, there are several traits that, when present in certain combinations with each other and with other traits, can give us clues about a person's integrity. There are also traits that indicate talkativeness, secretiveness, and deceit. As anyone who has ever been to court will testify, ethics are a very subjective thing, so the trait of "honesty" has many factors that it depends upon. Back to TopCan you tell if a person is a criminal by his handwriting?No, by definition a person isn't a criminal until he has been convicted of a crime.
Back to TopWhy don't people write the way they were taught in elementary school?Some people do, just look at your local third grade teacher. As children grow and mature, their handwriting changes and becomes a unique representation of their individual personality characteristics. The more a person's writing varies from the model they were taught, the more their morals and attitudes move away from the conventional model of the world they were taught as kids. Back to TopIs handwriting analysis the same for all languages?It depends on the alphabet. The strokes that are relevant in a Latin-based language are well researched and widely taught. Therefore, all Latin-based languages such as English, Spanish, Italian, French, etc. are fair game. However, many languages have completely different alphabets and, therefore, different analysis techniques. Back to TopCan I really change my personality by changing my handwriting?Grapho-Therapy is one of the most modern and effective behavioral modification tools available today. It works for two reasons. First, neuro-muscular connections have a direct impact on the neuro-pathways to the brain that hold patterns of behavior. Secondly, it gives the subject a clear and visual representation of the change she is making on a daily basis... reinforcing the belief system and cementing the change in behavior consciously and unconsciously. Back to TopI have a tendency to imitate other peoples' handwriting. What does this mean?It could mean you admire and model other people... a good trait as long as you pick good people to model... make sure they don't have any hell traits. Back to TopIf I see writing on a daily basis which is uniform and attractive, I mimic the style. Does this show a lack of personal style?Not necessarily a lack of personal style, but the attraction to uniform and attractive writing reveals a need for security, possible conservative tendency, and maybe even an "anal retentive" need for control and perfectionism. Back to TopAfter copying a style for a while, I can also mimic signatures. I wouldn't say they're perfect, but they do greatly resemble one another.As far as the signatures go... it will be useful in forging documents... at least you're not a criminal... Back to TopDo police departments use the services of certified handwriting analysts?Police Departments use forensics specialists to determine the true identity of ransom notes and other handrwritten evidence. They hire or use in-house trained document examiners (see: http://handwritinguniversity.com/docexam). However, any government agency is not going to pay as much as the private sector. You are not going to get rich working for the government. Back to TopAre handwriting analysts used by corporations when there is a theft and they are trying to find the culprit?Yes, but not always. You have to have a relationship with the head of security because it is also highly secretive. Back to Top |
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