Human beings differ from one another in their bodily appearance, movements, talents, education and a host of other matters. When it comes to writing, all these factors in personality will come to light. The particular shaping of an individual letter of the alphabet by a person may spring from many different factors in his mental and physical make-up.
The writer may have copied the writing style of the heroes of his youth or he may be suffering from cramps of the fingers. However, there are certain general trends in writing which are good for the whole of the manuscript as well as for the shaping of the single letter of the alphabet. Graphology claims many meanings for each of these tendencies.
People living in the Digital Age using smart phones and laptops may not be interested in handwriting. However, writing has not completely vanished from our midst. We still write letters, poems, essays, short stories, novels and many other books in longhand. And then, we get our handwritten material typeset for printing and publication. Writing is important because how you dot your ‘i’s’and cross your ‘t’s’ could help you choose a career and even land your dream job.
Andrea McNichol, Director of Graphology Consultants International, was called in by an auto dealership in the United States losing $1 million a year to engine parts theft. It appeared to be an inside job. McNichol got all the employees to write down what they knew about the theft. Then he analysed the handwritten letters and found the culprit who happened to be the vice president of the company. He was put under surveillance and later arrested for selling the parts illegally.
Branch of psychology
In the United States and many other countries, handwriting analysis is used for various business reasons. Today, graphology is considered a legitimate branch of psychology although some psychologists do not subscribe to this view. Handwriting analysis is used for personnel selection by over 80 percent of major establishments in Germany, Switzerland and Israel. Ivy Helstein, a Long Island psychotherapist, said, “Handwriting is brain writing. It’s the unconscious mind being conveyed down to the fingers.”
The first book on graphology was written by Comillo Baldi, a professor of Medicine, Philosophy and Logic at Bologne University way back in 1662. Even other brilliant minds of the 19th century were intrigued by handwriting analysis. Among them were Baudelair, Balzac, Robert Browning, Maupassant, Disraeli, Alexander Dumas, Sir Walter Scott and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Many remarkable philosophers, psychologists and scientists have delved deeper into the secrets of handwriting.
In criminology, fingerprints are important to identify criminals. Today, even your handwriting or ‘brainprints’ can express the uniqueness of your personality. As McNichol said, “No two people on earth write the same way.” That is why a trained graphologist can spot a forgery easily. In many countries, handwriting experts have been called on by lawyers and police detectives to identify criminals.
Movement and symbolism
Graphologists said that they can describe how you feel about your wife and children, whether you are honest in your dealings, what jobs you could be good at, and whether you are an optimist or a pessimist. Psychologists study various signs in your handwriting including slant, pressure, spacing, margins, and how you form and connect various letters. The fundamentals of two broader aspects of handwriting analysis can be grasped by anyone interested in graphology. They are movement and symbolism.
The movement of handwriting is a definite clue to your character. If your handwriting is fluid and rounded, you are an easy-going flexible person. Sharp and angular writing suggests aggressiveness. Interrupted writing reveals intuitive leaps. Connected writing shows a logical mind. Wide spaces between words or lines show shyness and isolation. Writing that slants uphill suggests that the writer is feeling “up” while downward slope shows depression. If you see shaky or tremulous connections, the writer is in his old age or he may be suffering from an illness. Some people’s handwriting is well spaced and nicely disposed. They signify mental balance and clarity.
I had a medical student in my English class many moons ago. He used to write with a heavy pressure. It shows physical strength and vitality. Today, he is a medical practitioner. On the other hand, if somebody writes with a light pressure, it signifies moderate or feeble energy. The ‘i-dot’ is much more than the mere speck it appears to be. If you omit the dot entirely, it shows absent-mindedness or lack of order. If you care to put the dot directly above the stem, you are an emphatic person. If you put the dot high above the stem, it shows great imagination.
Career counselling
Resumes and interviews can conceal not only serious flaws, but also hidden talents and traits. Today, people are beginning to use graphology for their own personal career counselling. They believe that talents are strongly visible in handwriting. Although there are no recognised courses to study graphology in Sri Lanka, anyone can learn the fundamentals step by step.
Learning graphology can be an interesting hobby. In analysing handwriting, the first consideration is to be certain that it has been written under normal conditions. Once I presented a sample of my handwriting to a well-known graphologist. He declined to analyse my handwriting because I had not written the sample passage under normal conditions. If possible try to get two or more handwriting samples from the same person at different times. You need not worry about the grammar or the content. In graphology, language is unimportant and what matters is handwriting. In the absence of a qualified graphologist to guide you, get hold of a standard book on graphology. However, you cannot learn graphology by reading books alone. Like any other diagnostic science, it needs actual practice.
You need strong self-discipline to resist the temptation to start straight away looking at the meaning of various signs. Begin by collecting handwriting samples and analyse them critically. Then you will note special features in people’s handwriting. Only if you work systematically will you be able to learn the intricacies of graphology. Very soon you will enjoy analysing handwriting as a rewarding hobby.