Guidelines to Handwriting Analysis

Graphology explanation
Graphology is the study of handwriting, which for hundreds of years
has been
recognized as being unique to each individual.
Through the centuries, starting with Suetonius, the Roman historian,
scholars like Shakespeare and alter Scott believed that personality is
re!ected in the style of writing. The scienti"c establishment began to
compile evidence and theories proving this as early as the #$th century.
%arly work in &taly and 'rance was taken forward in Germany, and the
basis of
today(s methods were set down during the #)th and early *+th
centuries. This
makes graphology a relatively new science, which perhaps e,plains
why many
remain sceptical.
The term (graphology( was "rst used by the 'renchman -ichon in
#.$/, from the
Greek 0grapho( meaning & write, and 0logos( meaning theory.
Graphology is now widely used in "elds ranging from education,
recruitment and
human resources, to criminal psychology and illness diagnosis.
'urther reading on the sub1ect is available in many books including2
hat your handwriting reveals - Gullan hur 3quarian
4ress
-anual of Graphology % Singer Treasure 4ress
5haracter indicated by handwriting R 6aughan 7pcott Gill
The psychology of handwriting R Saudek 3llen 8
7nwin
4(s and 9(s : -eyer Geo;rey 6les
Self<knowledge through handwriting = :acoby >ent 8
Sons
3t its most comple,, graphology is a large and dynamic sub1ect. 3t its
basic level
however, it is relatively easy to understand and to begin to apply. 7sed
as a simple guide, graphology can provide useful indicators to the
writer(s personality, whether you are analysing yourself or those
around you.
?.6. %,perimenting with analysis is interesting, en1oyable and a good
way to learn, but do not to attempt formal analysis of others,
particularly sta; reporting to you, until and unless you become e,pert
in the use of graphology and preferably receive some certi"cation or
accreditation to that e;ect.
Basic Features of Handwriting
.
@ook at the basic features of writing2
Size and proportions
General layout
>irection of lines
>egree of connection
Regularity
Rhythm Aor evennessB
>egree of broadness
Speed of writing
'orm of letters
5overing of space
Shading
3ngle of writing AslopeB
Right and left tendencies
Spacing
>egree of attention
4ressure
>ecorationCdistortion
?ow follow the basic analysis process below, which you can use on
other samples. The more you practice, the you become able to analyse
without referring to the written guidelines2
Graphology - the basic analysis
is the sample valid? That is, has the style of the writing been
a;ected by any
e,ternal in!uencesD %g., an uneven writing surfaceE an awkward
writing positionE
or written on the move Ain a car or train, etc.B. Fou cannot analyze a
sample that is not reliable. 'or the purpose of checking slope and
coverage it is more diGcult to analyze samples that have been written
on lined paper.
size - There are many aspects to the size of writing and alone it
doesn(t indicate
many things. Size Aand especially the relative size of letter partsB
needs to be
considered along with other factors. There are some simple indicators
however.
Small writing is generally a strong indicator of a detailed, technical
personality.
@arge rounded and dominant central case Asee the later e,planation of
0cases(B
letters indicate a friendly and sociable personality.
letter-word slope < &s there a consistent slope to the letters and
therefore the
words in the sampleD 5heck by drawing lines through the up and
downward
strokes. 6ackwards slopes indicate an introverted personalityE forward
slopes are
e,traverted. 7pright strokes indicate a personality who is motivated by
factors
other than people, Aie neither e,trovert nor introvertB. The degree of
slope re!ects the degree of e,traversion or introversion. The degree of
consistency of the slope Aie parallel strokesB indicates the degree of
emotional consistency.
line slope < riting which rises to the right shows optimism and
cheerfulness.
Sagging to the right shows physical or mental weariness. AThis applies
to
signatures sloping<downwards also.B
ow < Hne of the essential indicators, but like any other factor not to
be used on
its own. Generally, restraint is indicated every time the pen leaves the
paper, and
the converse applies. Gushing, eager, impulsive people have a more
continuous
!ow of writing. 'lowing writing has linked letters and sometimes linked
words.
Thoughtful, considered people will have fewer linked letters and no
linked words.
3rtistic and conceptual people who like space and time around them
will often have completely separated letters. A&t follows that pressure at
school on some children to 0write 1oined<up( < because the common
view is that to do otherwise is 0not grownup( < is unnatural and often
counter<productive. &n any event continuity of !ow does not correlate
to intelligence.B
spacing - Space between words indicates social attitude to others.
5lose words
are a sign of sociability. @arge spaces between words indicate the
person is
comfortable alone, and may even distrust others. Spacing between
letters shows
artistic spatially aware character, Aartists, etc.B
decoration and distortion < >on(t confuse the two. >ecoration is
intendedE
distorted is malformed and unintentional. 6oth are di;erent to
un"nished letters,
which is a di;erent indicator. >ecoration is generally a sign that the
writer wishes to be noticed more than he or she is at present.
-alformed letters indicate a variety of things which must be dealt with
individually. 7n"nished words can be a sign of intelligence and
impatience.
the three cases - divisions of the personality
3n essential aspect to analyze is the bias of the writing towards upper,
central and lower cases. The upper case is the area in which the
e,tended up<strokes are found in the tall letters like b, d, f, h, l, t, etc.
The central or middle case is the central region occupied by letters
with neither long up<strokes nor long down<strokes, such as a, c, e, m,
n, o, etc. hich obviously means that the lower case is the area
occupied by the e,tended down<strokes of letters such as g, 1, p, q, etc.
&dealism
religion
philosophy
upper
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
imagination
logic
pragmatism
central
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
common<sense
instinct
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lower
animal appetite
physical force
The central case contains most of the writing. The upper and lower
cases are those which e,tend above and below the central body of
each letter. The three cases represent the three aspects of our
personality. &f it helps you to assess the relative dominance of the three
cases draw a horizontal set of 0tram<lines( through some lines of writing
to mark the division between the three cases. @ook at the relative
dominance and e,tent of each of the cases.
7pper our 0higher( selves, and thinking about religion and
philosophy
5entral our mental and social approach to life
@ower our physical aptitudes and attitudes
@ook where the writing is mainly concentrated, and where the
emphasis isE this is where the emphasis of the personality is too. @ook
for any encroachment from
upper case to the line above or from lower case to the line below < it(s
a sure
indication that the encroaching case is dominant. 3lso look at the
central case to
see if there is an upward or downward pull. 3n upward pull is best
spotted if you
see an arched pattern running through the central case. 3 downward
pull is best
spotted by seeing a pattern of troughs through the central case. The
pull pattern in the central case also indicates the emphasis of the
personality.
some other simple indicators

@arge broad upper loops are a sign of emotion.
Right<pulled lower loops show interest for the good of others.
@eft<pulled upper case shows a fondness for the past.
7neven upper loops show changeable satisfaction, or
disillusionment.
'ull left<pulled lower loops show physical ful"llment.
5losed 0e(s and other small closed central loops show secrecy.
0Stand<alone( or properly formed 0s(s at word ends show
independence.
ord<end 0s(s where top of letter is formed into downward right
loop show a yielding or co<operative nature.
3ngular central case is a sign of an interest in ideas rather than
people.
Rounded central case shows interest in people.
7ncompleted case letters, eg 0a(s, 0b(s etc., Aopen when they
would normally be 1oined loopsB show a casual natureE very open
shows propensity to gossip.
Small writing is generally a sign of technical personality.
@oops in angular writing show a potentially diGcult character.
0T( cross strokes connecting a number of 0t(s with a single line
shows speed of thought Abut not a guarantee of correct thinkingB.
Hmitted 0i( dots and 0t( cross strokes shows forgetfulness or
carelessness.
4osition and style of 0i( dots show di;erent things2
o >irectly above, close to and in line means e,acting.
o 3head means active and thinking.
o 'licked shows sense of humor.
o 6ehind shows thoughtful.
o &nconsistent Avarying positionsB means a distracted mind.
and in general < Fou should try to build up a picture of the person you
are
analyzing using as many di;erent indicators as possible. 3lso try to use
other
psychometric tests and systems to build up a multi<dimensional
pictureE the more
perspectives you can use the better.
&f this brief introduction interests you then get hold of a book or two on
the sub1ect and teach yourself more. &t(s a fascinating sub1ect and a
useful additional way of providing insight into your own personality and
those around you.
Source: http://www.businessballs.com/graphologytest.pdf