What's Graphology?

Basics:

The basic concept of Graphoanalysis is that every stroke structure has a general meaning. The specific meaning depends upon what other stroke structures are found in the writing sample. The combination of spacing, alignment, and stroke structures can be measured and used to identify certain personality traits.

Measurements:

Graphologists have standardized measurements for handwriting analysis. The two basic categories of measurement are stroke and spacing. Stroke measurements include pressure, slant, length, width, and degree of curvature. Spacing measurements are taken for margins, between words, and between letters.

Traits:

Basic Traits are the meanings that are ascribed to individual stroke structures. These scores are derived from the frequency and intensity of the stroke structure. Evaluated Traits are the meanings ascribed to clusters of individual stroke structures. This indicates how the trait is made manifest in the personality. Traits can include the following:

• Emotional foundation
• Mental processes
• Imagination
• Forces to achieve
• Fears
• Defenses
• Integrity
• Social traits
• Aptitudes

History:

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the study of handwriting as an indicator of personality was already a popular field in Europe. French practitioners concentrated on isolated signs as specific indicators of personality, and Germans sought to make subjective interpretations based on a total impression of a person's handwriting, a gestalt method.

Graphoanalysis is the system of handwriting analysis created by Milton N. Bunker, an American. He first studied handwriting analysis around 1913. At the time, no single theory or method dominated handwriting analysis, although the French and German systems remained popular. Bunker believed a compromise was needed: a standardized or "scientific" approach to determining personality from a sample of handwriting. Based on extensive sampling and empirical research, this system is known as Graphoanalysis and uses stroke analysis to provide insight into personality traits and evaluation of a writer's personality. By 1929, he had enough confidence in his system to form the American Grapho Analysis Society. This organization later became the International Graphoanalysis Society, the leading association in the field of handwriting analysis.

The International Graphoanalysis Society (IGAS) is a private corporation with roughly 30 chapters worldwide. IGAS is a professional association that trains handwriting analysts, performs continuing research in the field of handwriting analysis, and serves in an advisory and supervisory capacity to organized groups of handwriting analysts. The organization is a leader in the field of graphoanalysis education, giving courses in graphoanalysis that include the CGA (Certified Graphoanalyst) and MGA (Master Graphoanalyst).

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