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The word "Graphology" is derived from the Greek word 'Grapho' means writing and 'Logos' which relates to discussion. In simple words, Graphology can be understood as the analysis of characteristics and patterns of handwriting to understand the personality of the writer and also their psychological state at the time of writing. It is generally considered as pseudoscience but in recent times this branch is really getting attention of researchers and psychologists. People who have a background of studying psychology find it easier to understand the way graphology works.
Graphology is a projective technique with the objective of studying personality traits of individuals through the interpretation of the so called graphic aspects of handwriting. This discipline has began in ancient times and dates back to the IV Century BC.
Chinese philosopher Kuo Jo-Hsu, in IV Century BC quoted that, "handwriting inevitably shows whether it comes from a noble mind or from a vulgar person".
Another Japanese philosopher Okakura said that, "Each stroke of writing expresses an entire life".
Aristotle (384-322 BC) has considered the bond between writing and thinking. He said, "writing is a symbol of speech, and the letter is a symbol of mental experience".
Egyptian civilizations and cultures considered writing a sacred matter. Even Romans used graphology throughout centuries. Then many different civilizations and cultures have applied it to identify the essence of a person's writing.
Brief History of Graphology:
The very first graphologist who came up with the idea was Prosper Aldorisius, he invented Ideography. In his work "Idengrphicus Nuntius". Aldorisius observed that people would write in different ways. He concluded that writing would suppose diversity in principles, qualities, depending on the writer's nature.
Camilo Baldi (1622) was an Italian professor of philosophy of the University of Bologna. He has founded the School of Graphology of Paris. Baldi left behind numerous printed and manuscript works covering a wide range of subjects. One of his best works is his essay on Graphology, 'Trattato Come Da Una Lettera Missiva Si Conoscano La Natura E Qualità Dello Scrittore' (the translation is, How to know, through a handwriting letter, the personality and nature of the author), which represents the first detailed investigation of the subject. It was first published in 1622 when Baldi was over 70 years old. The Italian editions were also published in 1625, 1983 and 1992. For now there are no English translations of his works, but it has also appeared in Latin in 1664, French in 1900 and 1993, and also in Spanish in the year of 2016. His interpretations of handwriting are interesting but those interpretations have very little connection to modern theories of graphology.
There were several scientific personalities of the era who tried to systematize Graphology, like Godofredo Guillermo Leibnitz (1646-1716), Johann Caspar Lavater (1741-1801), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), Louis Moreau de la Sarthe (1771-1826), Edouard Hocquart (1787-1870).
Through graphological analysis it is possible to analyze patterns of writing that identify the psychological state of a person.
Graphology has been a reason for controversy since a long time ago. Those who have been supportive of this technique assure that the brain sends signals to the muscles that implements the writing. It is said that, "It is not the hand that writes, it is the brain".
Who is a Graphologist?
A graphologist is one who has done certification in graphology from any authorized institution. They are trained in analyzing handwriting and signatures. A trained graphologist identifies the pertinent characteristics of handwriting and the way these interacts. Through description of letters written and the analysis of signatures, it is possible to elaborate the psychological report of the writer, also confirming the behavior in the intellectual, affective and social areas.
How does a Graphologist analyses? A brief description:
A trained graphologist does not just look at your writing and tell things about you. As a graphologist and psychologist I'll be explaining in this segment how things work in graphology or how do we analyze and also the psychological aspects of it.
So, for starters, we have to keep in mind it is a scientific analysis and it maintains specific rules. The analysis includes the writing breaking into small details and then analyzing those. While analyzing, a graphologist first checks, the Shape (circles/oval/triangles/squares/rectangles/abstract) and Size (very large/large/small/medium/tiny/irregular) of the letters, then gradually Slant (vertical/left/right/further right etc.) of the writing, Zones (upper/middle/lower) used in the writing, Pressure (heavy/light/moderate) of the pen used while writing that particular piece, Margin (left/right/superior/inferior) of the whole piece of writing, Baseline (normal/upward/downward/straight/convex/concave/descending/ascending) used for the writing, Line spacing, Spacing between the Words and Spacing between the Letters are also noticed.*
*Please note that each of these small details hold specific interpretation and meanings. And the analysis consists of every minute detail and report comes as a whole.
All these detailed analysis are done by maintaining the rules and reports are always confidential. The confidentiality is always maintained between the graphologist and the client (breached only when necessary). The psychological aspects can be explained through neurobiological researches. As we have seen that brain is very much associated with our thoughts as well as writing, it can be said that by analyzing one's writing we can understand their psychological state of mind. Also many times unconscious thoughts come out through our writing or strokes we use in writing.** Again, nowadays a new area of psychology, which is called, Alternative Healing Techniques, are associated with graphology. Mainly, the Chakra Systems are related to the hand writing analysis. Many graphologists who are also healers (who use Alternative Healing) analyses writings in association with Chakra System.
**A detailed Freudian view will be published in this blog later. Please stay tuned.
What is the utility of Graphology in the recent times?
Graphological analysis has several applications. The possibility to get to know people in depth through a method that is apparently so simple, such as the analysis of the characteristics of handwriting, gives graphology the opportunity of being used in many fields of knowledge. In the field of psychology, graphology is a test of personality and a deep investigation of the human being. It contributes to patient diagnosis, to the identification of the typology and alterations of personality.
The analysis of modifications that writing suffers along a treatment, allows to know the evolution of a client, given that graphical symbols change their aspect for the same individual, along with the evolution of their psychism. In clinical medicine and psychiatry, graphological tests guide the medical professionals in the diagnosis of mental, psychomotor and somatic illnesses and in the records of evolution of treatments. Through Graphopathology, physical issues can be detected even before they appear. Comparative analysis of a person, allows the diagnosis of breathing, circulatory and motility disorders prematurely.
I would like to end with a note saying that, Graphology is a tool to know and understand ourselves as well as people who surround us.
I hope you have liked reading this piece and got a basic idea about Graphology. To know more please follow our blog. I'll back soon with other interesting topics related to Graphology.
For those who want to learn Graphology or do a Certificate Course, you can mail to this email id - shikkhaniketaninstitution@gmail.com. They provide certificate course in Graphology and also workshops and webinars related to Graphology & Psychology.
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