Graphology studies handwriting to reveal the writer’s psychology, while forensic document analysis determines the origin of a document. Graphologists examine factors such as letter angle, slant, pressure, and shape to draw conclusions about the author. While controversial, graphology can be useful in medical diagnosis. However, using graphology in employment decisions may be considered discrimination.
Graphology is the study of handwriting with the aim of learning more about the writer. It is important to distinguish graphology from forensic document analysis, because while both involve the analysis of handwriting, different methods are employed and the end goal is different. Graphology focuses on the psychology of the author, while forensic document analysis aims to determine the origin of a document to know whether it is valid or not. The two require radically different fields of study and are approached from unique perspectives.
Graphologists believe that handwriting can reveal a lot about the author’s psychological state. Examination of the handwriting should allow the graphologist to plumb the depths of the author’s subconscious. A graphologist looks at things like the angle of the letters, the slant of the writing on the page, the pressure and the shape of the letters. For example, many graphologists believe that pressing hard indicates anger or emotional distress, or that letters that fall off at the end of the line indicate mental instability.
The idea behind graphology is that the subconscious often overflows into writing. By observing how people use language and how they write, a skilled examiner should be able to draw conclusions about the author. However, many scientists believe that graphology is a dubious enterprise at best, and graphologists’ evidence is often ignored in criminal cases, due to a preference for more scientific fields of investigation.
While graphology’s ability to plumb the depths of the mind is debatable, this form of handwriting analysis can actually be useful. Doctors sometimes examine patients’ handwriting to learn more about their central nervous system health, especially if handwriting samples are available for comparison. A decline in the quality of handwriting can suggest that someone is having difficulty controlling their hands, which could mean that a central nervous system condition such as Parkinson’s is starting to manifest. Difficulties forming words or writing coherently can also indicate problems with the central nervous system or suggest that a patient is experiencing emotional distress.
Employers may also attempt to use graphology, although this practice has been legally challenged in some regions of the world. Reviewing prospective employees’ handwriting may be reasonable from the perspective of someone who wants employees with neat handwriting that can string the language together well on the fly, but choosing not to hire someone because they write leaning to the left or writing narrow letters could be considered discrimination.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
