Graphology and Personality: 5 main handwriting traits

Graphology tries to explain some keys to personality through handwriting.

By analyzing handwriting, graphologists try to find out aspects of the personality that the person being analyzed does not want to present to us.either because it does not suit him/her to do so, because he/she is not aware of them or simply because they seem irrelevant.

In addition, graphological analysis is also used to contrast the information obtained by other techniques, such as self-reports or a personal interview. The latter is common in personnel selection processes.

What can graphology provide us with?

These techniques are currently used in Spain. In France their use is greater, it is estimated that between 50 and 75% of companies use them. In the year 1991 (date of the last independent study) 90% of French companies used directly or indirectly the information provided by the deed..

How is a handwriting analyzed?

To explain how handwriting analysis works, I always use the same example, graphology is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.. 

If you look at a piece most likely you do not know anything about it, or where it goes, or what is represented in it, you may also vaguely recognize something in that piece, by connecting this piece with the four corresponding pieces you may already appreciate something familiar, probably with little aplomb but as you go connecting pieces your perception of the matter will be more in line with reality. You may notice a piece that is very characteristic, for example the eye of the tiger that is captured in the puzzle, then you will already know the meaning of that piece, and more or less where it will be located.

5 variables with interpretations shared by the vast majority of graphologists.

Continuing with the metaphor of the puzzle, I am now going to write about some of the pieces that graphologists focus on to obtain a meaning from them with little or no need to connect them with others.

Because, within all the scriptural variables from which interpretations are generated, there is a group of them whose associations with the corresponding personality traits to which they refer. to which they refer. They are generally stable signs that can be interpreted in a simple way, however, graphologists contrast more data. In other words, in graphology these variables generate fairly stable conclusions about the subject's personality in most cases.

1. Mix of lowercase and uppercase letters

This situation occurs when we see a text in which, being predominantly lowercase letters, there is also the presence of capital letters (obviating those necessary for correct spelling). The capital letters are interspersed with lowercase letters.

This sign has been related to the typology of the unfaithful cashier.. It would be a sign of a tendency to daily theft and disloyalty. However, graphologists pay attention to the other variables presented in the text and contrast that there is no reasonable confrontation in the aspects related to loyalty. In other words, they check that the other variables in the text do not indicate the opposite with certainty. .

(Writing sample in which uppercase and lowercase letters are mixed).

2. Midzone overshoot

What is overshoot? Quickly, that the text (for example, in a signature) is taller than it is wide. What about the middle area? All that area that is framed between the upper and lower limit of the oval of a writing, (e.g. the letter -o- ; the oval of the -d-, -g- or -p-) i.e. it encompasses the area in which all the letters that have no upper or lower projection (hampas or jambs respectively, in graphological jargon) are written.

In graphology, the over-elevation of the middle area is considered a sign in most cases negative, may suggest a certain arrogance in the personality, arrogance, self-aggrandizement.... A person who is haughty, proud, conceited and not very pleasant to deal with because of how 'superior' he feels, will surely present this variable in the handwriting, in the signature or in both. I remember another golden rule of graphology: the absence of a sign does not indicate connotations contrary to those presented if it were present.

As examples, the signature of Himmler (powerful Nazi commander) and the signature of Donald Trump (candidate for the presidency of the USA).

(The two signatures on the left of D. Trump, the two on the right of Himmler).

3. Filiformity

Filiformity refers to the type of writing that takes the form of thread. It is typical to see this in cartoons when a letter appears, usually they have not bothered to represent legible words and simply make a line with brief oscillations and separations resembling the course of a real writing. Filiformity is printing a dash (or almost a dash) where there should be a shape, for example, it is typical in the -m- or -n-, the mounts are decreasing until sometimes due to the dynamism simply a dash is drawn.

It is necessary to distinguish between general filiformity and partial filiformity. It can be a whole word filiform (general fil.), it can be filiform only at the end (very common) or certain combinations of letters (partial fil.). In graphology, the general filiformity will have a more positive interpretation than the partial one, being related to insincerity, lack of authenticity of the person or neurotic conflicts. or neurotic conflicts.

It is also mandatory to establish differences between the filiform writing executed with dynamism and high speed of the slow filiform, the first has positive connotations, it would be attributable, as a tendency, to a person with good social skills, with negotiation skills, with good strategic sense or diplomatic skills. Regarding the slow filiform, it is necessary that we realize, that we reproduce, that we think about how this type of writing has been executed. Filiformity is normal when the writing speed is accelerated, it is a trait indicative of speed, however, someone who is producing filiformity at low speed is doing it deliberately, that subject is producing, with intention, a slow and illegible writing, in addition it is usually the case that whoever writes filiform has a high graphic culture, so the hypothesis of lack of writing skills is generally discarded. Illegible writing ex profeso, in the words of Manuel J. Moreno: "[...] we may be facing snobbish attitudes and inauthenticity".

The writing in the following image is by the politician Alfredo Pérez Rubalcabaslow and extreme filiformity.

(Samples of filiform handwriting. Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba left, unknown samples on the right).

4. Dissociation

Dissociation is the name given to the graphic phenomenon by which the oval is separated from the palate. This can occur in letters such as -d-, -g- and -p-. It happens when the oval is executed on one side and the palote on the other, in which case we have dissociation in the writing. It is a very easy sign to notice, it is quite striking to the eye, and even depending on the pattern of spaces that this writing keeps, it can confuse us in the reading by taking the oval for an -o- and the stick for an -L- (in the letter -d-).

This sign, in the words of Manuel J. Morenoand connecting with psychoanalytical theories, "could be a symbolic externalization of a tendency to split or conflict between the ego and the unconscious". For his part, Augusto Vels relates it to the quality of the family relationship in childhood "[...] The mere fact that both elements are separated is an excellent sign of conflict or disagreement, a frequent sign in people who have lived a childhood with poorly matched parents [...] and who have felt affectively marginalized".

(Sample of dissociated writing. "Dignity" and "Degraded")

(Sample of dissociated writing. Word "Cordoba")

5. The enveloping rubric

Entering in terminology, rubric is the scribble when signing, the illegible part, and the signature the legible part, naturally there can be any combination between them in the autograph of a person, there can be only signature, only rubric, both, etc... It is called enveloping rubric to the graphism whose outline surrounds the signature. It is very common, surely you know someone who signs like this.

In graphology, it is associated with the desire to be cared for, the need to feel protected within the family or marriage.. In a positive graphic environment it is related to prudence and caution. Mauricio Xandró, explains: "It corresponds to a movement of introversion and the manifestation of a feeling of youthful inferiority. [...] Almost unanimously, graphologists see it as a gesture of protection and isolation, which is also correct".

(Handwriting sample: enveloping rubric, signature "Pedro Jimenez").

Graphology is a complement, one more technique in the repertoire.

In handwriting analysis and interpretation there is a rule that is present from the very beginning. If you ask a graphologist, most likely your question will be similar to: "y... What does it mean when I lean to the right?" or "What do you say about those who sign with a squiggle that never looks the same from one time to another?" and the answer is most likely to resolve the doubts presented, at least at first, but then the professional you have asked is most likely to mention the need to contrast this particular fact that you have raised with the other variables present in the writing for a correct and firm interpretation.

The need to contrast with the other variables comes from the differentiation between positive graphic environment and negative graphic environment.The same writing variable can have different interpretations depending on the graphic environment in which it is found. The graphic environment is determined by a series of aspects whose evaluation must be done separately due to the extension.