How to Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) (with Images)

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How to Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) (with Images)
How to Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) (with Images)

Video: How to Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) (with Images)

Video: How to Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) (with Images)
Video: How to Analyze Handwriting in 10 STEPS! 2024, March
Anonim

A person's handwriting is as unique as their personality, which makes it tempting to connect the two. Graphology is a fun exercise, especially if you're analyzing someone you know, but its accuracy is pretty limited. If you're interested in a more scientific basis, learn how forensic investigators compare suspects' handwriting to ransom notes.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Quick and fun analysis

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 1
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 1

Step 1. Don't take graphology too seriously

Experts in this field say they find personality traits in handwriting. There's probably something true about this, as we can all imagine what a "big" or "careless" handwriting might look like. However, since these claims have failed all scientific tests, scientists consider graphology an ineffective pseudoscience. At best, these correlations are well-informed guesses, with several exceptions. They're fun to find, but don't use them to judge job applicants or change friendships.

Never trust anyone who claims to know whether a person is a criminal or an adulteress from the handwriting. In addition to being impossible, such accusations harm their victims for no reason

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 2
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 2

Step 2. Get a good sample

If possible, ask for a sample of cursive on unlined paper. It tends to be easier to analyze than printed words or lined paper. Better yet, collect multiple samples produced at different times. The lyrics change according to mood and circumstance, so a feature of a sample may just be a temporary embellishment.

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 3
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 3

Step 3. Observe the pressure of the strokes

Some people put a lot of pressure on the paper while others write lightly. You can tell the difference by checking how dark the writing is and the pressure marks on the back of the paper. Here's what graphologists say this means:

  • Too much pressure indicates high emotional energy. The writer can be intense, sensual or vigorous.
  • Medium pressure means a person who is relatively calm and centered. She may have good perception or memory.
  • Light pressure is a sign of introversion or someone who prefers low energy situations.
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 4
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 4

Step 4. Check the slope of the strokes

Writing, especially cursive, tends to lean to the left or right. Try to analyze it in the following way, paying particular attention to letters with upper loops, such as b, d or h:

  • A right slant appears when the writer is eager to write or writing quickly and energetically. If it occurs frequently, the person can be assertive and confident.
  • A tilt to the left can indicate an unwillingness to write or a desire to hide emotions. Some say these writers are less collaborative than people who write leaning to the right.
  • Straight vertical writing can mean that the writer keeps his emotions in check.
  • Note: such analysis may not be valid for left-handed people.
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 5
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 5

Step 5. Look at the baseline

On an unlined sheet, people tend not to write perfectly straight. Place a ruler across the paper and compare it to the angle of the sentences.

  • It is said that writing upwards shows optimism and good humor.
  • Writing down can be a sign of discouragement or fatigue.
  • Words that move up and down can indicate an unstable or insecure person, or an unskilled writer.
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 6
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 6

Step 6. Note the size of the letters

Big ones mean the person is outgoing. Small handwriting indicates that the person is reclusive, introverted or frugal.

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 7
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 7

Step 7. Compare the spacing between letters and words

Does your friend group the letters tightly together? If so, he may be insecure or introverted. If he drags the lyrics, maybe he's generous and independent. Graphologists also like to look at spaces between words; the closer they are, the more the writer likes crowds. Others interpret differently and say that more space between words demonstrates clearer and more organized thoughts.

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 8
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 8

Step 8. Notice how the writer puts the letters together

The connections between cursive letters are a rich source of analysis, as there are so many possible variations. Graphologists rarely agree on them, but they follow some common interpretations:

  • Wreaths: These curves are cup-shaped and open at the top. They can show strength and tenderness.
  • Arcades: Downturned curves are slower and more dignified, and moreover associated with creative people.
  • Strands: The pen stroke becomes increasingly clear at the end of a word, and is sometimes represented by dots on the page. It is usually a hurried and careless style, although there are other variations.

Method 2 of 2: Forensic Document Analysis

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 9
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 9

Step 1. Understand document forensic analysis

This field is often confused with graphology, especially in Europe, where it has more support in the courts. Document analysis can sometimes reveal little hints about age and gender, but it doesn't try to identify personality. Its main purposes are to identify fraud and to compare a suspect's handwriting to a ransom note or other evidence.

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 10
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 10

Step 2. Ask for handwriting samples

All of them must be written voluntarily and with similar paper and ink. To practice your first analysis, ask a group of friends to write the same long paragraph. Have everyone write twice on different pieces of paper. When they are done, shuffle everything and use the techniques below to find each pair.

Criminal investigators like to use at least three copies of a complete letter or 20 or more copies of a signature

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 11
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 11

Step 3. Look for differences first

A common mistake is to find similarities between samples, conclude that they are from the same writer, and stop there. Challenge yourself to identify the differences first and then move on to the similarities. With that in mind, continue to find out what to look for.

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 12
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 12

Step 4. Compare baseline alignment

Note the line on the paper or place a ruler under the written text if the sheet is not lined. Different writers tend to write above or below the line. Some will line up throughout the text while others are more relaxed and move the letter up and down.

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 13
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 13

Step 5. Measure the space between the letters

This analysis can be a bit tiresome, but it's also more objective than most comparisons. Use a ruler to measure the space between letters or words. A significant difference in spacing can indicate different writers, especially if one sample connects words with pen strokes and the other separates them with gaps.

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 14
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 14

Step 6. Check the height relationships between the letters

Does the writer write the cursive l or k well above the other letters or compress them to make everything the same height? This is a more consistent feature than loop width or letter slope.

Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 15
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 15

Step 7. Compare letter shapes

There are dozens of curves, turns, connectors and letter endings that distinguish a writer. Without taking a formal course, the best way to learn them is to inspect a single long sample of handwriting and then compare it with someone else's. Here are some examples to get you started:

  • Nobody writes like a machine. Look at the different versions of a letter within the same sample to find out what kind of difference is unreliable. For example, if someone writes two "f"s with a wide loop and a narrow loop, you can't rely on that shape to make the identification.
  • Now look for a letter with similar characteristics every time it appears. For example, in cursive writing, the person usually writes either a cursive capital I, a simple vertical line, or a line with horizontal bars. It's rare to see a writer use more than one of these ways.
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 16
Analyze Handwriting (Graphology) Step 16

Step 8. Find signs of fraud

If you want another exercise, have your friends try to copy each other's signatures and put them in a pile along with the actual samples. Here are some signs of counterfeiting:

  • The forger has to write slowly to copy the letter, which can lead to slight tremors (wavy lines) and constant line thickness and tone. Real signatures often have lighter and darker tones as speed changes.
  • If the counterfeiter hesitates or pauses, you might see ink dots or pen lifts (small gaps in the signature). They are most common at the beginning and end of the signature, or between letters.
  • Try making your own signature five times, and you'll likely see significant variation. If two signatures are extremely similar, on each curve and line, one of them could be a forgery.

Tips

  • If the lyrics lean all over the place, the person is probably stressed. It is difficult to make an accurate analysis in this situation.
  • If you are impressed by someone's handwriting predictions, stop and think for a moment, especially if the person is asking for money. Would her predictions match almost everyone her age and gender? Did the graphologist use vague words that almost anyone could identify with?
  • This guide was written for Portuguese. It may not correspond well with other languages, especially if the language is not written in a left-to-right Latin alphabet.
  • If a person doesn't cross the "t"s or dot the "i"s, he may be careless or in a hurry.
  • Handwriting changes rapidly in teenagers and in people suffering from age-related illnesses or health problems.

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