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Graphoanalysis is a Registered Trade Mark of the International Graphoanalysis SocietyNo infringement of that trade mark is intended on this page.
Graphoanalysis is the system of handwriting analysis developed by Milton N Bunker. He first studied handwriting analysis around 1913. By 1929, he had enough confidence in his system to form the American Grapho Analysis Society. This organization later became the International Graphoanalysis Society.
Whilst the roots of Graphoanalysis are in the writings of Abbe Michon, the influence of Crepieux-Jamin is very apparent.
The basic idea of graphoanalysis is that every stroke reveals something about an individual, but that meaning only has significance when it is found with other indicators.
Isolated strokes are significant, but only to the extent that what they reveal is expressed elsewhere in the handwriting.
There are 119 basic traits, each of which can, and ought also be determined by evaluating strokes other than the basic stroke that is used to identify the character trait.
One scores a trait from the basic stroke. Then one evaluates all of the strokes, to come up with an evaluated score for a specific trait. The difference in scores provides clues about how that trait is expressed.
The starting point in doing an analysis is by measuring the upslant of 100 consecutive letters. Degrees are not measures, but rather the zone that the upslant falls into. These zones are:
- F--
- F-
- FA
- AB
- BC
- CD
- DE
- E+
- E++
Both E++ and F-- are used by very few Graphoanalysts.
The next step is determining the pressure of the writing. Virtually every handwriting analyst has a different idea on how best to determine pressure.
The most common methods are:
- feeling the underside of the paper with one's hand.
- Looking at the number of carbons that the writing can still be read on.
- Measure the width of the line of the writing
- Look at the gouge that the writing instrument made in the material
- Use a graphodyne
- Guesswork/experience
All of those methods have problems. The most objective appears to be measuring the width of the writing line. It can fail, because ball point pens usually leave a uniform line.
One popular practice is that felt tip pens are, by definition, light pressure, while ultra thin ball points are, by definition, heavy pressure.
At this point one measures the width and height of each stroke. Then one goes on to score the basic strokes.
Graphoanalysis is based on the theory that handwriting is not handwriting at all, but brainwriting. Anyone who has seen the writing of someone expereinced in holding the pen in his mouth or between his toes or in the crook of his elbow would not be able to pick it out of a pile of typical handwriting. In fact, studies had found that those people who have lost the use of their hands learn to write almost exactly the same, with practice, by using other means of holding the writing instrument.
The most popular applications for handwriting analysis are for personality assessment, pre-employment screening, compatibility reports and the like. Very few individuals (at least in North America) work exclusively as professional handwriting analysts. In Europe, it is much more common to have handwriting analyzed in the course of applying for a job. In North America, where psychologists hold sway and determine who receives accreditation, handwriting analysis is often pilloried as an occult practice, similar to tea-leaf reading and scanning chicken entrails.
Truth be told, most Graphoanalysts wish to disassociate themselves from the bulk of those who call themselves graphologists or handwriting analysts. They are embarrassed by the pronouncements of these instant experts, suspecting that a goodly number have learned their "craft" from newspaper articles and the back of matchbooks.
Graphoanalysis does not pretend to be able to discern the sex or sexual orientation or the diseases of a writer. It concentrates on character and personality traits such as honesty, pride, imagination, will power and temper, to name a few. The most significant stroke in Graphanalysis is the T-Bar, which can reveal the life force or drive of an individual.
It takes an analyst roughly two hours to score all the traits. Computers only slightly reduce the amount of time the process requires.
Though there are numerous schools of handwriting analysis, Graphoanalysis may be the most established and organized. To become a Graphoanalyst, one must complete a correspondence course that typically requires one to two years of study. This qualifies the graduate as a questioned document examiner as well. A Graphoanalyst may append the initials CGA after his/her name, signifying their qualifications as a certified Graphoanalyst. In some countries, however, this may be confuse others, since graduates of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy or Certified General Accountants share that acronym.
See Also
Graphology
Reference Works
International Graphoanalysis Society
The Encyclopedic Dictionary for Graphoanalysis
Chicago, IL: IGAS: 1964. First Edition
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