GETTING STARTED

HOW GRAPHOLOGY WORKS

First of all, you know more about handwriting analysis than you think. And we’re about to prove it to you.
Look at the following signatures of two school children, Johnny and Billy. Even if you know nothing about the science of graphology, see how much you can figure out about these two youngsters from these handwriting samples alone:

Ask yourself:

• Which of these two youngsters needs to be seen, to be in the middle of things?
• Who is more cautious about getting involved with others, and would prefer to work behind the scenes?
• Who is likely to be impulsive?
• Who is likely to think things through more carefully?
• Who is likely to run for class president?
• Who is likely to become class treasurer?
• Who is going to try out for the football team?
• Who is going to join the stamp club?
• Who might be a handful for his teachers?
• Who can quietly entertain himself for long periods of time?
• Who is more likely to grow up to be a salesman?
• Who is more likely to become a banker?

You've probably figured out by now that Billy is the more extroverted of the two boys, Johnny the more introverted. Billy prefers being with people, engaging in activities where he is noticed, and is more likely to be a risk taker. Johnny prefers to go into himself to solve problems, is likely to weigh all sides of an issue before acting, and is probably more accurate in his conclusions than Billy.

How were you able to figure out so much about these boys from these small samples? The answer is that you intuitively judged and synthesized principles regarding size and use of space, and combined this with a good dose of common sense. Don't underestimate the role of common sense in handwriting analysis. In fact, our first rule of analysis is:

RULE: Most of handwriting analysis is common sense.

As you begin to put together an analysis, you'll be surprised at how much simple logic and common sense will help you arrive at a correct interpretation. Don't leave common sense at the door when you do an analysis!
Let's go back to Johnny and Billy. We are going to use them to demonstate some of the underlying principles of this course so that you will know how we approach handwriting analysis.

Our first supposition is that every handwriting will have major distinctive aspects to it, even if that distinction is the fact that nothing at all stands out. In the Johnny and Billy example, there are a number of things we can observe. For instance, one name is printed, the other is written in cursive; one is written in a horizontal direction, the other is written with an uphill slant, one seems to be written slowly, the other quickly; in one, the letters are cramped, in the other, the letters are spread out. Yet while these are important, the two things that are probably first to get your attention and gave you your biggest clues about these boys are the size of their signatures and where they were placed on the page. These are the most distinctive aspects of these handwritings. And this brings us to our next rule:

RULE: The dominant features of the handwriting represent the dominant characteristics of the writer's personality.

In our example, Johnny writes a small script and sticks himself in the corner, giving a visual representation of social reserve, while Billy's very flamboyant, large signature identifies him as a person who wants to be out there and visible. These are the two dominant characteristics in these writings and so play a major role in revealing who these children are.
In the first part of the course you will learn what the norms are for many different features of handwriting so you can determine in which ways a sample deviates - or fails to deviate - from what is within the realm of "normal" or from what we were taught. Being able to identify these is the first key to unlocking the secrets of the writer's personality.

Let's look again at our boys' writing. This example is a relatively easy one to figure out because each graphological feature seems to reinforce every other graphological feature. That is to say, in Johnny's case, writing in the upper left-hand corner is reinforced by its small size, its unassuming capital, and by its disconnected, somewhat cramped letters. All of these graphological features support the feeling of introversion. In Billy's case, the gesture made by placing his name more to the right is reinforced by its large size, bold capital, underlining, spread out letters, connectedness, and uphill slant, and speed - all of which lend support to a feeling of dynamic extroversion.

Let us suppose that this were not the case. Suppose that Johnny's signature was large and Billy's very small, but everything else about their writings remained the same. Would the interpretations be as clear?

     
Again, using common sense, let's think about what this could mean. In Johnny's case, we now have a person showing signs of introversion but at the same time calling attention to himself through his large writing. (It would be very unusual to find a writing like this, by the way, since it illustrates such conflicting extremes.) One might deduce that far from being content within himself, Johnny is now much more a picture of frustration - someone who wants other people to pay attention to him but is too reserved to initiate contact. In this instance, large writing - or rather, the needs large writing represents - would be a problem for Johnny, given everything else in his handwriting. This highlights another of our rules

RULE: Almost any graphological feature can be interpreted negatively or positively.

Depending on what else is in the writing, any particular feature can become a liability. In this case, large writing with many other indicators of reserve will inevitably be a conflict for the writer.

Let's take a look at Billy in the second example. In this case, you have someone showing signs of extroversion who at the same time prefers to keep a low profile. Such a person likes to be in the middle of things but does not himself need to be the center of attention.

This particular combination is not intrinsically problematic. In fact, we know a very successful individual who fits this picture. He is a publisher and editor of a newspaper. When he writes editorials for the paper he never signs his name to them - not because he is afraid to stand behind his convictions but because he thinks it's unimportant. Here is someone who clearly is involved with what is going on around him but who doesn't need to call attention to himself in any way.
These last examples show you how much more complicated - and interesting! - an analysis can become because both contain contradictions within the writing. And it is up to the analyst to figure out how to make sense of these contradictions. This brings us to our next rule:

RULE: No one thing in a handwriting means anything by itself.

Every feature in a handwriting has to be looked at in the context of the whole writing. When we do an analysis, we are solving a mystery, and much like Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, we must look at all the evidence, both the parts and the whole.

You will learn that a particular handwriting feature may be modified, or be expressed differently in different writings depending on other things in the writing. You will also learn, as was just illustrated, that what in one handwriting may operate as something neutral or positive, may in another type of writing have a negative impact, or at least be a source of conflict for the writer.

You will also learn not to overlook clues to personality that have nothing to do with handwriting per se, but rather are unconscious expressions in the form of what we call "graphic gestures." A graphic gesture is something writers do that have nothing to do with communicating through the alphabet, but nevertherless reveal much about their unconscious motivations. Doodling, adding flowers or smiley faces, crossing certain things out, using a particular type style or font on a person's business card - all of these are examples of graphic gestures that reveal a lot about people's personalities.

Putting all these clues together is what makes handwriting analysis challenging, but also fascinating as well as incredibly accurate. For it is precisely because handwriting mimics, or more precisely, expresses the contradictions within us that it is such a powerful assessment tool, one that gives you a rare look at the many facets of a person behind the facade so often shown.

In this course you will learn what the norms in handwriting are and how to recognize deviations, how to think about findings that are sometimes in opposition to one another in order to form a coherent picture of the writer. This may seem confusing at first but it will all come together in lesson 10.

Now that you have some idea where we're going, let's take a more in-depth look at one of the first things one notices when looking at a handwriting: the use of space. Where do writers put their writing? How do they make use of the blank space before them? The many ways space can be used will be explored in Lesson 1.  Check out the  Home Course Study.