Graphology is the science, or more accurately, pseudoscience of determining personality or character from handwriting. It dates back several centuries. Graphology is becoming more widely accepted in it's traditional applications in personality assessment for commerce and industry as well as vocational guidance for those seeking suitable employment or a change of career, compatibility in both personal areas of life and business, child and family guidance and graphotherapy- therapy through handwriting.

There is no solid scientific basis for graphology. In properly controlled, blind studies, where the handwriting samples contain no content that could provide non-graphological information upon which to base a prediction, graphologists do no better than chance at predicting personality traits than someone picking at random.

What this says about society is something I'd probably rather not think about.

Although graphology can easily be seen as preposterous, there is one section that seems to use strong links to Sigmund Freud.

When examining handwriting, one can examine the zones (separated into thirds) of each of the written characters. The letters that use the upper zone are b, d, f, h, k & l. One can see that letters that use loops or strokes above the core "middle" of the character are seen as upper zone letters. The middle zone is used by all of the letters in the English alphabet and would be considered the middle third or core "middle" of the character. The letters that use the lower zone are f, g, j, p, q, y & z. The letters that use a loop or stroke below the middle of a character are seen as lower zone letters.

According to some graphologists, each of the three zones - upper, middle and lower - can be attributed one of Freud's levels of mental activity - id, ego, superego.

The id is considered the lower of the three levels and thus is attributed to the lower zone of letters. Thus, strong loops in the lower zone may (but do not necessarily) show an increase of desire for sex, food or money.

The ego is the middle of the three levels and thus is attributed to the middle zone of letters. An enlarged middle zone may represent a person that wishes to have strong relationships in his/her life, but this may cause conflict with a person's desire for intelligence or food also.

Finally, the superego is considered the highest level and thus is attributed to the upper zone of letters. Intense strokes or loops in the upper zone may represent a person that wishes for an intense understanding of life or abstract concepts. Those that tend to have an enlarged upper zone may have a strong thirst for knowledge than others.

There is no proof that this necessarily is the case, but it is interesting to note how graphology has tied Freud's analysis into itself.

Gra*phol"o*gy (gra*fol"O*j&ybreve;), n. [Gr. gra`fein to write + - logy: cf. F. graphologie.]

The art of judging of a person's character, disposition, and aptitude from his handwriting.


© Webster 1913

Gra*phol"o*gy. (Math.)

The system or notation used in dealing with graphs.


© Webster 1913

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