Applicants for the job of deputy personnel of a computer company had been whittled down to two young men of equal experience, skill and qualifications. Outwardly, there seemed little to choose between them – so the interviewing board called in a graphologist, or handwriting analyst, to assess character and potential.
The handwriting of the first applicant was large, fluid and rounded, that of the second was small, sharp and angular. According to the graphologist, the first handwriting showed someone who was self-confident, flexible and who got on well with people. The second handwriting, however, portrayed someone who – despite his social and professional ‘front’ – was self-doubting and rigid. So the job went to the first applicant.
Graphologists maintain that handwriting – from public relations companies to banks – use expert handwriting analysts for sifting through job applicants, requests for promotion, and business ideas that come through the post. In West Germany 80 per cent of major companies employ graphologists for personnel selection. It is not widely used in Australia although the practice is growing around the world.
Its adherents claim that it is an effective way of deciding whether a person can be trusted. In the USA –where firms lose up to $40,000 million each year to dishonest employees – graphology has taken the place of polygraph, or lie detector tests, which are no longer legal.
Critics of graphology say that it has no firm validity. Not only are many handwriting experts self-trained but their evaluation are often found to contradict each other.
However, most graphologists agree on certain basic concepts – such as the importance of assessing character on a combination of several main factors, and not any one ‘peculiar’ characteristic.
They divide handwriting into three ‘zones’: the upper and lower zones, formed by the tops and bottoms of capital letters and other letters such as b, d and g; and the middle zone, containing the remaining small letters. The relative forms and sizes of the zones are said to reveal people’s true selves.
For example, a large upper zone indicates someone who is outgoing and cheerful; a small lower zone suggests someone shallow and emotionally stunted; and an average-sized middle zone may point to someone who is well-organized and practical.
Picture Credit : Google