Graphology and You

The study of handwriting is known as Graphology. It is an important tool in inferring the character and disposition of a person. All our contradicting tendencies and directions reflect in our handwriting. But it could be argued that we all have different experiences, so how can a fixed set of rules apply to all people? And we are never the same people over time, oscillating everyday in outlook and attitude

Expert handwriting analyst Albert E. Hughes says our experiences do not alter the fundamental structure of our character and temperament. Sudden changes in handwriting do not transform its natural structure. Besides, it does not matter, for example, whether or not a person disguises his handwriting (consciously or unconsciously). Experiments have discovered which features can be changed easily and which with difficulty.

Expressions of the face and gestures can easily be controlled and trained but the handwriting reveals all. But it must be emphasised that there is no one trait that is revealed by a single characteristic of handwriting. A complete analysis of all its features must be done before any conclusions are arrived at.

Decorative
	A deliberate attempt is made to adorn the signature. It speaks of a flashy person who is egotistic and expresses himself in a dramatic manner.

Undistinguished
The signature is just like the person's normal handwriting. It shows that the person is straightforward, down-to-earth and without any pretensions.

Illegible
	If the normal handwriting is clear and the signature is consciously illegible, the person may be apprehensive and want to camouflage his true personality and feelings.

Small
	hen the signature is kept short, though the name may be lengthy, the writer is reserved and humble, but will come straight to the point. When the signature is distinctly smaller than the normal handwriting, it shows the person may not realize his worth and may be humble and timid, or could be suffering from anxiety, depression or other emotional problems.

Large
When the signature is very large, though the name may be small, the writer is egoistic and ambitious and loves to socialize. When the signature is distinctly larger than the normal handwriting, it shows the person has willpower and confidence. If it is very much larger, the person could be a show-off and not someone very reliable.

Expanded
The person whose signature goes across the page seeks to attract attention at any cost. If the normal handwriting is also very large, the tendency is more pronounced.

Dissected
In this case the signature will have a stroke on it, either horizontal, vertical, partial or complete. It shows that the person wants to cancel out his own being. The writer may be dissatisfied with society, depressed or in extreme cases even suicidal.

Encircled
The circle around a signature, partial or complete, has two meanings. The writer may be protective about his near and dear ones or may be fearful of the environment. The circle is like a protective shield.

Abbreviated
The person who signs his first name only may be self-centered. This applies to signatures on important documents only and not personal letters or greetings.

Bifurcated
Here the surname appears below the first name, which indicates the writer wants to place himself above his family, in a controlling position.

Nonconfirmist
Some women continue to sign their maiden name after marriage instead of adopting the husband's name. This means she may have trouble disassociating herself from her parents. It could also mean she did not enter into marriage wholeheartedly. All this does not apply to women whose maiden name has earned recognition and fame; where changing it may cause confusion about her identity. Imagine if Steffi Graf were to start calling herself Steffi Agassi after marriage!

In general:
A youngster may try out different permutations and combinations of his first name, initials and surname. Such signature should be horizontal or slanted upwards. A downward slant shows negative traits. This principle applies to everyone. So the next time you look at a signature you will have a better idea of what the person's mental make-up is.