A Detailed History of Graphology and Handwriting Analysis
Experts have been studying handwriting analysis for more than four centuries. Handwriting analysis is the field of forensic graphology. It has a distinct significance and offers a wealth of study material. Integrative graphology examines the relationship between an individual’s personality and their many strokes. The foundation of holistic graphology is the utilization of space, shape, and writing motion. Let us go back to unravel the history of graphology.
Birth of Writing
To understand the history of graphology, we need to go back to around 5,000 years when the earliest writing systems were created, and communication was done mostly through pictorial representations. Among these ancient writing systems are Egyptian hieroglyphics and Sumerian cuneiform, which originated in Sumer- located in modern-day Iraq. The Phoenician alphabet appeared around 1200 BC, but the earliest pure alphabets, which utilize a single sign to represent a single phoneme (letter sound), were developed in Egypt before 1800 BC. This alphabet, which was created along the coastline of present-day Lebanon, included 22 consonant letters and did not include vowel sounds. The written languages of Arabic and Hebrew still follow this way of writing even today.
One cannot undervalue the significance of the Phoenician alphabet. Much like many of the contemporary European scripts, the Phoenician alphabet served as the basis for writing systems that later evolved in Western Asia, Africa, and Europe. One of the earliest alphabets to be written from left to right was the Greek one, which dates back to 900 BC.
Over the years, the alphabet has evolved and changed, and today, we follow a certain way of writing.
History of Graphology
The earliest known understanding of a person’s character from their handwriting dates back to 500 BC, when Confucius warned, “Beware of a man whose writing sways like a reed in the wind.” The founders of modern graphology were the Italians in the early 17th century, with activity based in the city of Bologna, home of the oldest university and where graphology is still taught today. It is from Italy that graphology has become a recognized subject in the study of human nature and identity throughout the world. In the 19th century, France played a significant role in laying the groundwork for the formal study of graphology. Today, the subject is taught throughout Europe, Israel, North and South America, India, and China, among other places.
Although graphology originated in continental Europe, England had access to the writings of Swiss physiognomist Kasper Lavater. After being released in German in 1775, his book Physiognomy was translated into more than 50 versions by the time it was published in 1810; of these, over half were available in England. It is well known that Lavater’s writings served as an inspiration for the first Englishman to write on the subject.
Dr. Georg Meyer and Ludwig Klages are two more important individuals in the history of graphology. The first to recognize that handwriting may be a glimpse into a person’s personality and to develop a methodical method was Klages (1872–1956). He thought that ‘mental discipline’ and a person’s ‘natural impulses and rhythms’ were in perpetual conflict regarding handwriting.
A person’s handwriting is of a greater caliber when the two are in harmony with each other than when they are at odds.
Graphology was first introduced in Britain during the 18th century when Gainsborough analyzed handwriting. Rosa Baugham wrote “Character Indicated by Handwriting” in 1871, and the Strand Magazine wrote articles about the topic as well. Before the Second World War, distinguished European refugees who were also graphologists taught in England. Graphology was in commercial use by the early 1900s. Among them was Dr. Eric Singer, the pioneer of contemporary graphology and a student of Dr. Ludwig Klages – known as the father of modern graphology.
Numerous organizations were established to discuss the topic at the beginning of 1930s. Analytical graphology was reclassified in 1980 by the United States Library of Congress into three categories:
- Diagnostic graphology
- Documentary evidence
- Personnel selection
Nevertheless, the topic was not officially approached in the UK until Frank Hilliger, a student of Dr. Eric Singer, took the initiative of popularizing the subject.
Hilliger began promoting graphologists and invited them to talk about the profession’s future. The British Institute of Graphologists was founded during a conference of 148 graphologists held on October 9, 1983, at the Victory Services Club in London. Later that year, the inaugural edition of The Graphologist was published.
More and more experts took an interest in studying handwriting. Today, graphology is a significant subject that interests many people worldwide who have become pioneers in this field.
Handwriting Analysis
Experts have studied the analysis of handwriting for over four centuries. Camillo Baldi was the first individual to conduct methodical, hands-on observations on handwriting in 1622. He wrote the first known graphological essay in history, “Treated How, By A Letter Missive, One Recognizes The Writer’s Nature And Qualities.”
Greek terms’ graphe’, which means to write, and logos, which means science, were combined by Abb Jean-Hippolyte Michon in Paris in 1897 to create the term ‘graphology.’ He was the first to provide scientific justification for handwriting analysis. Michon also founded ‘The Society of Graphology.’
Michon’s work was further carried out by J. Crepieux-Jamin, one of his students. He reorganized Michon’s writing and separated it into seven main categories – direction, speed, pressure, shape, dimension, continuity, and order.
Handwriting analysis can be said to be the field of forensic graphology. It has a distinct significance and offers a wealth of knowledge. It is used in cases of ransom notes, letters, signatures, and other illicit items that are uncommon. In the event of formal debunking of signatures in law cases, contracts, or cases in which a crime is committed, and it necessitates the identification of the person who has written or signed, forensic documentation is requested.
It should be noted that a person’s intentions to engage in abnormal conduct might be influenced by their social and economic standing, surroundings, psychological and mental health, and cognitive development. A few theories and concepts from the fields of biology, psychology, and sociology have been the main tools used to explain and categorize discussions of abnormal behavior. Forensic professionals examine many handwriting samples from known and unknown sources to identify handwriting peculiarities that correlate to certain characteristics.
In addition, by examining handwriting samples of humans, a plethora of technologies and techniques have been created to assist handwriting specialists in completing this tedious work. Using a variety of tests and scientific methods, handwriting analysis has been verified as a method of personality evaluation by various research. Integrative graphology examines the relationship between an individual’s personality and their strokes when writing something.
The foundation of holistic graphology is the utilization of space, shape, and movement while writing. Numerous research on the relationship between gender and handwriting are available. According to uniform scientific research, gender may be identified to a substantial degree in handwriting analysis used for personality evaluation. The findings of published research on an individual’s age, ethnicity, race, height, nationality, gender, weight, and connection to handwriting have revealed mixed results.
Contact Inside Ink
If you want to have your handwriting analyzed to improve in various fields of life – professional, educational, or personal to help improve your behavior and relationships, concentrate on your goals, or work on your thoughts, then you can get in touch with Inside Ink. We will analyze your handwriting, offer mentorship, and guide you in achieving your desired goals through handwriting.
