Graphology and Personality Profiling the Essay

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Table 2 -- Correlation of Character Traits with Handwriting (Hull and Montgomery)

Emotion/Trait

Shape of Writing

Correlation

Ambition

Upward Sloping Line

-.20

Pride

Upward Sloping Line

-.09

Bashfulness

Firmness of Line

-.45

Bashfulness

Lateral narrowness of m's and n's

+.38

Force

Heavy Handwriting

-.17

Force

Heavy bars on t's

-.06

Perseverance

Length of bars on t's

0

Perseverance

Length of bars on t's compensating

+.16

Reserve

Closed as and o's

-.02

Now, we jump to 1954, with a study by Lorr, Lepine, and Goldner entitled, "A Factor Analysis of Some Handwriting Characteristics." Initially, the authors are open minded about the subject, citing that one of the difficulties has been the lack of proper measurement regarding graphological characteristics. In addition, since different types of pedagogy exist when teaching writing, it is difficult to compare students without solid factors.

In this study, a group of 200 right-handed graduate psychology students with a median age of 27 were asked to us an ink pen and write a full page story on a standard sheet of unruled paper. No subject was aware that their writing would be used in analysis. In addition, to help validate personality traits, a 100 question personality inventory was administered, scaled to measure personality issues from gregariousness to inferiority. Three samples were taken from each individual -- the first word in the first line, the middle work in the middle line, and the last word of the last complete line. Measurements were taken to the 10th of a millimeter for stroke, angle, weight, and dimension.

Analysis of the study, even with the more robust personality inventory found that the correlation scales were uniformly low. Six were above 26 but none above 30, leading the authors to believe that no systematic relationship exists between handwriting factors and personality traits measured by the questionnaire (352).

Conclusions- It is fascinating to note that two studies three decades apart resulted in the same conclusions, yet the "science" of graphology still had not been formally refuted by the Psychological field, and from the 1950s to the 1970s was actually popular as a test basis, courtroom evidence, and even in medical wards devoted to the criminally insane.

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Two, or more, idiosyncratic traits of an individual may or may not be correlated based on something like handwriting, since the outside factors are so enormous. Signatures vary between day and time, and signatures rarely resemble the handwriting of a letter for instance, since many are practiced and honed. Like phrenology, physiognomy, and cranialfacial anthropometry (all studies of external characteristics that are more genetic than psychological), graphology wants to lump certain trends with personality. The data, however, shows that generalized personality traits are predictive, but not by handwriting. Measurement criteria must be robust and repetitive for a scientific principal to be usable; graphology is not able to muster that. Some see this as a "Barnum Effect," in which recipients of graphological exams want to believe in their analysis so they contend trait definitions to fir the results, "Oh yes, I become enraged when I can't find a parking spot" (Beyerstein, ed., 1992).

REFERENCES and WORKS CITED

Bayne, R. And F. O'Neill. (1988). "Handwriting and Personality: A Test of Some Expert

Graphologists' Judgments." Guidance and Assessment Review. 4 (1): 1-3.

Beyerstein, B. (2008). "How Graphology Fools People." Qackwatch. Cited in:

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/grapho.html

Beyerstein, B., ed. 91992). The Write Stuff: Evaluations of Graphology- The Study of Handwriting Analysis. Prometheus Books.

Crumbaugh, J. And E. Stolkholm. (1977). "Validation of Graphoanalysis by 'Global'

Or 'Holistic' Methods." Perception and Motor Skills. 44( 2): 403-10.

Furnham, A. And B. Gunter. (1987). "Graphology and Personality: Another Failure

To Validate Graphological Analysis." Personality and Individual Differences.

8 (2): 433-5.

"Graphology," (2009). Ancientsciences.com. Cited in:

http://www.ancientsciences.com/AncientSciences.asp?CategoryID=23

Hull, C. And R. Montgomery. (1919). "An experimental Investigation of Certain

Alleged Relations between Character and Hand Writing." Psychological

Review. 26 (1): 63-74.

Kahnerman, D., et.al., eds. (1982). Judgment Under Uncertainty. Cambridge Lorr, M., L. Lepine, and J. Golder. (1954). "A Factor Analysis of Some Handwriting

Characteristics." Journal….....

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