Where Personality Characteristics are Found

Copyright December 27, 2001

ABSTRACT)

The purpose of this paper is to present a perspective of handwriting analysis that the author believes may be absent from the mindset of graphologists regarding the location of personality characteristics in handwriting.

Some analysts rely on certain letter formations better know as stroke analysis. While perhaps easier for educational purposes and marketing, are the interpretations repeatable? Scientifically based? Worthy of validation studies? Able to withstand scientific peer review? It is thought not.

So, where are personality characteristics found in the display? These questions and others will be explored with the conclusion that, theoretically, no one place on the display is the sole possessor of a characteristic.

Foundation

Action follows being. This philosophically derived phrase simply means that one MUST behave according to "his/her nature" or genetics and cannot act in a manner greater or different than that capacity. Stated differently, we can only act within our nature's capacity. If we, as graphologists, believe that handwriting represents a true display of a person's behavior (personality) then the action (handwriting) must reflect the nature of the being producing it. Given an adequate display of writing, why do some graphologists seek certain areas to determine certain characteristics? Has the personality suddenly stopped at certain places and started again in others? It is thought not.

Therefore, given an adequate sample, and the personality being the continuum it is, the characteristics of personality must necessarily be found in the total display and not just in certain areas. Vanity, that oft-mentioned characteristic, is not found only in one place but, rather, is set down in toto on the whole page. And the other characteristics must also be "all over the page" for the person writing does not retract his/her being in part of the writing and then re-immerse it again later. So, are all handwritings being analyzed correctly in all cases? From what the author has observed over a period of 26 years, it is thought not.

Stroke-analysts may obtain clues to characteristics but is the "location" of those clues the only place where it is found? Is it a long term, reliable indicator? It can't be for the display encompasses all of the personality and not just some parts here and there. So, therefore, all of the characteristics must be capable of being evaluated by the whole display and not in just portions.

Does this mean we need to review how analysts, some but perhaps not all, determine characteristics? It is thought so.

RECONSTRUCTION and CONCLUSION

So, if all characteristics are found "all over the page", it seems that we need to reconstruct our evaluation process into a more scientifically based view. One that has a solid foundation. One in which peer reviewers and critics would necessarily have to recognize that pressure, speed, size, slant, spacing and all the other inescapable elements of handwriting are repeatable. Yet, they could say "trait-stroke formations" are not. Every characteristic must be capable of being discerned through the basic elements. This means that more information must be contained in these elements than is generally recognized or understood especially by those using "trait-stroke analysis.

Sonnemann in his book, Handwriting Analysis, elicited his "Dimensions of Rating" which listed many attributes to a single element. These, of course, needed to be assimilated with other elements for a supported analysis. That is the general concept of what is being referred to in this paper. The aspects of an analysis should be found "all over the page" and not just in one place. This concept is essential to exhibit a repeatable basis to evaluation decisions. Repeatable is the key word because all of the elements are repeatable in any writing anywhere and give handwriting the scientific foundation it deserves and establishes credibility in the scientific arenas.

As a brief insight, assume we are assessing ego strength. Many analysts will use the personal pronoun "I" for this evaluation plus "capital letters". Although these could be used to support or counter an assessment, many other elements are required to firmly rate a person's ego strength. Ductus, MZ size, pressure, angularity, regularity, speed are major elements, which must be assessed along with other elements to determine ego strength. This latter system of assessment is a solid foundation to strongly consider in an analysis.

These repeatable and scientifically based elements are very difficult for reviewers and detractors to expostulate. If handwriting analysis is to be accepted in the realm of science, then basing the analyses only on repeatable elements of handwriting/printing is absolutely critical and essential.