The Symbolism of Space was one of the first topics we explored — and that’s no coincidence. To truly understand how graphology works, we must first become familiar with the symbolic meaning embedded in handwritten expression.

Why is it so important?

Every time we interpret a doodle, a piece of writing, or a drawing on a sheet of paper, we use spatial symbolism as a guide to uncover what that graphic expression is really communicating.
According to Max Pulver, spatial symbolism is a fundamental concept in graphology. It refers to how the layout of writing on a page reflects the inner world of the writer.

Who was Max Pulver?

Max Pulver was a Swiss psychologist, graphologist, and philosopher of the 20th century, regarded as one of the leading theorists in graphology. He was the first to develop a symbolic approach to graphic space, drawing on concepts from depth psychology — particularly the work of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud.

1. The Blank Page: A Reflection of Your Life

A blank page is more than just a surface to write or draw on — it symbolises your life and your personal space. When you write or draw, you project who you are. Every graphic gesture expresses something about your personality, your emotional world, and the way you relate to others.

2. What Is Spatial Symbolism?

Pulver viewed the blank page as a symbolic space representing various aspects of life, the unconscious, and personality. Each area of the page carries a specific meaning.
When analysing a piece of handwriting or a drawing, the first thing to observe is how it interacts with the space on the page.

3. The Graphic Gesture: An Extension of the Self

The way a person organises space on the page reflects the development of their identity.
It is very different when someone respects margins and distributes text in a balanced way, compared to someone who fills the entire page or leaves large blank areas.
Writing is a mirror of the self.

Analysing Spatial Use in Spontaneous Writing

In a graphological test, if spontaneous writing is concentrated in only one quadrant of the page, it reveals two key aspects:

• Limited use of the surrounding space: Of all the possibilities offered by the page
• (representing the person’s current life context), the individual only makes use of a small part.
• Symbolic relationship with the chosen quadrant: The choice of a particular area may indicate a need for refuge, a desire for safety or protection, or unresolved inner conflicts that symbolically manifest in that specific section.
  This phenomenon is known as quadrant psychology.

4. What Do We Observe in a Written or Drawn Page?

The observation process takes place in four key stages:

• Position of the writing: Where does the writing appear — on the left, right, top, bottom, or in the centre? This is not random. According to spatial symbolism, each zone has meaning (e.g. the left is associated with the past, the right with the future).
• Use of space: How is the available space used? Are some areas overcrowded while others remain empty? Is there a sense of balance? This gives insight into how the person organises their inner world, their priorities, and how they express themselves.
• Style of strokes: What shapes are repeated? What about pressure, rhythm, and direction? This forms part of the formal analysis, where we closely examine the visible features of each letter.
• Internal balance of the strokes: Is there harmony between the left and right, top and bottom parts of the text or drawing? This balance (or imbalance) also reveals much about the individual’s emotional or psychological state.

5. Applications of Spatial Symbolism

This approach is widely used in projective psychological tests, such as the HTP (House-Tree-Person). Freud introduced this symbolic reading into psychology, and in the field of graphology, Max Pulver pioneered the link between handwriting and social behaviour.
He developed a system of graphic symbols with profound psychological meanings.

These symbolic zones can be applied to any graphic element — whether it’s a text, a signature, a drawing, or a single letter.

6. How the Quadrants Are Divided

By drawing two lines (one horizontal, one vertical) that intersect in the middle of the page:

• The horizontal axis (left to right) represents time — from past to future.
• The vertical axis (top to bottom) represents vital space — like the human body: head at the top, feet at the bottom.

What Does Each Zone Reveal?

Spatial Symbolism of the Page: A Mirror of Your Inner World

When a person faces a blank sheet of paper, that surface is not merely a medium for writing or drawing—it symbolises their life, their vital space, and their inner world. Each area of the page—left, right, top, bottom, and centre—carries a specific symbolic value. The way in which the space is used, what is written, what is left out, and what remains blank, all convey profound information about the individual’s personality, emotions, and relationships.

Horizontal Division: Freud’s Model of the Psyche

Upper Zone
This refers to the top third of the page. It is associated with the mental and psychic plane, including thoughts, aspirations, spirituality, and intellect. In Freud’s theory of the psychic apparatus, this area corresponds to the Superego, the part of the psyche that represents moral conscience, ideals, and internalised norms.

Central Zone
Located at the centre of the page, this zone relates to feelings, emotions, everyday life, and personal needs. According to Freud, it corresponds to the Ego—the conscious part of the personality that mediates between the desires of the Id and the demands of the Superego. This zone symbolises the individual’s present and their connection to reality.

Lower Zone
From the middle of the page downwards, this area represents the concrete and biological realm—basic needs, instincts, material concerns, and the need for security and stability. Freud associated this with the Id, the most instinctive part of the psyche, where primal drives and basic needs reside.

Vertical Division: From Self to Other

When the page is divided vertically (from left to right), it reveals a symbolic journey from the Self to the Other—showing how the writer engages with the outside world, the future, and interpersonal relationships. This direction reflects whether the individual approaches life with confidence, openness, and hope, or with fear, insecurity, and withdrawal.

Left Zone
This area symbolises the past, early attachments, the maternal bond, memories, and regressive aspects of the personality. It is associated with an immature Self, introversion, and difficulty in detaching from past experiences.

Right Zone
This zone represents the future, forward projection, plans, communication, and openness to new experiences. It corresponds to a mature Self, capable of adapting and engaging with the external world.

7. Practical Examples

• Writing that leans to the right: Initiative, extroversion, future-orientation.
• Writing that leans to the left: Attachment to the past, introversion, maternal bonds.
• Centred writing: May indicate narcissism or a desire to be at the centre of attention.
• Predominantly upper zones: An idealistic person or one with strong mental activity. May also suggest escapism.
• Predominantly lower zones: A practical, grounded person who may express emotions through the body (e.g. through food, physical activity).
• Predominantly middle zones: A hypersensitive person who experiences life with emotional intensity.

Final Conclusions

Your handwriting is an emotional map. Each area you occupy — and each space you leave blank — reveals something profound about your personality.
Through spatial symbolism, graphology enables us to move beyond mere words and uncover how your inner world is expressed on paper… and in life.

This way of organising space is deeply linked to your emotional state, your inner equilibrium, and how you relate to the world around you.

It’s important to remember that handwriting is not fixed — it evolves as you go through different experiences and personal transformations.
For this reason, it can become a powerful tool for self-discovery and psychological insight.

The Brain’s Role in Writing and Emotional States

The brain is the organ that coordinates and controls all bodily functions. A person’s way of thinking causes the brain to connect chemical neurotransmitters, which, in turn, generate feelings aligned with those thoughts.

• Optimistic Perspective:
  When thoughts are positive, the brain produces neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. These chemicals lead to:
  • A sense of well-being
  • Motivation to take on activities
  • Other positive effects
• Negative Perspective:
  When thoughts are filled with anger, sadness, or frustration, the brain increases levels of cortisol and other neuropeptides, resulting in:
  • Feelings of distress
  • Anxiety
  • Other negative sensations

How Should the Lines in a Text Appear?

Ideally, writing should be:

• Straight or moderately upward-slanting.
• Horizontal without being overly rigid.

Classification According to the Degree of Line Direction

Types of Baseline Directions

1. Straight Baseline

• Characteristics: Indicates maturity, calmness, stability, self-control, and emotional balance.

2. Ascending Baseline

• Definition: Lines rise from left to right, with an average incline of less than 5°.
• Interpretation:
  • Optimism and self-control
  • Ambition and creativity
  • Extroversion and independence
  • Loyalty to goals and slight egocentrism.

3. Very Ascending Baseline

• Definition: When the average incline exceeds 5°.
• Interpretation:
  • Excessive optimism and imagination
  • A strong desire for leadership and self-assuredness

4. Descending Baseline

• Definition: Lines slope downward from left to right. This is often confirmed by the direction of “t” bars, letter endings, and punctuation marks.
• Interpretation:
  • Fatigue, lack of motivation, and reduced productivity
  • In extreme cases, it can indicate depression, illness, or frustration
  • Psychological traits: introversion, dependency, and difficulty resolving issues independently

Variations in Baseline Direction

1. Wavy Lines

• Definition: Letters oscillate, and not all touch the baseline.
• Interpretation:
  • Imagination, creativity, and sensitivity
  • Emotional insecurity and adaptability
  • Opportunism, cunning, and extroversion

2. Serpentine Lines

• Definition: Lines form noticeable waves.
• Interpretation:
  • High creativity and intuition
  • Emotional instability and spontaneity
  • Tendency to avoid direct confrontation

3. Concave Baseline

• Definition: Lines curve downward and then rise.
• Interpretation:
  • Initial shyness and passivity
  • Overcoming initial discouragement and transforming introversion into extroversion

4. Convex Baseline

• Definition: Lines curve upward and then descend.
• Interpretation:
  • Initial enthusiasm that wanes after challenges
  • Emotional instability and impulsivity

5. Ascending Staircase

• Definition: Each word rises above the baseline, while the next returns to it, resembling roof tiles.
• Interpretation:
  • Resilience and willpower during tough times

6. Descending Staircase

• Definition: Each word ends lower than the previous one without an overall descending line.
• Interpretation:
  • Struggles against fatigue and adversity.

7. Uneven or Variable Lines

• Definition: A mix of ascending, horizontal, and descending lines.
• Interpretation:
  • Emotional instability
  • Requires careful analysis of writing conditions.

How Are Baselines Measured?

There are several methods to measure the direction and deviations of writing baselines. Each method varies in precision and complexity:

1. Transparent Graph Paper

• Process:
  • Overlay transparent graph paper onto the handwriting sample.
  • Ensure the graph lines align with the writing baselines.
  • Observe any oscillations or deviations in the movement of the lines.

2. Protractor Method

• Process:
  1. Use a protractor to calculate the angle by which the baseline deviates from the horizontal.
  2. Start by drawing straight lines that follow each baseline in the writing sample.
  3. Measure the angle formed between these lines and the horizontal axis using the protractor.
• Challenges:
  • This method can be more complex if the line is highly wavy or irregular.

3. Visual Inspection

• Process:
  • Carefully observe the baselines without additional tools.
  • Draw a guiding line that connects the bases of the letters.
  • Rotate the paper 90° and visually note variations or deviations.

Each method can offer valuable insights, and the choice depends on the level of detail required for the analysis.

Writing Orientation

1. Progressive Writing

• Definition: Flows naturally to the right with spontaneity and ease.
• Interpretation:
  • A tendency to seek connections with others
  • Indicates a need to escape problems

2. Regressive Writing

• Definition: Moves backward toward the left, symbolizing introspection.
• Interpretation:
  • Focus on self-care and personal needs
  • Signs of selfishness or materialism when found in the lower zone
  • Emotional egoism when located in the middle zone

Final Considerations

• Always relate baseline direction with other signs, such as stroke pressure, writing speed, and continuity.
• Explore additional factors like lower-zone activity and overall writing style for a complete analysis.

Thank you for sharing this fascinating topic with us!

Layout studies how lines, words, and letters are distributed. It examines whether the ones written at the beginning of the text are executed better or worse than those at the end.

We must distinguish whether the text is personal or social, as the emotional charge of each is different.

To observe writing in a comprehensive and subjective way, we can ask this guiding questions:

• What overall feeling does the text convey?
• How are the spaces between letters, words, and lines? Does the written text dominate the page, or does the white space prevail?
• Is it pleasant, unpleasant, or indifferent to look at? Are there inconsistencies, corrections, cross-outs, or monotony?
• Does the movement flow smoothly, or is it awkward and hesitant?
• Does the text advance, invading the margins?
• Do the lines ascend or descend? Do the letters overlap or stick together?

Layout Definition

In graphology, order refers to how each element that forms letters and text is distributed, arranged, and centered.

Interpretation: From a psychological perspective, the order in writing reflects an individual’s ability to adapt to social norms, which enables proper integration into society. The internalization of these norms is acquired from both family and society.

Excesses indicate pathology. Both excessive rigidity and extreme disorder suggest that something is not functioning properly.

To determine whether handwriting is orderly or disorderly, factors such as distribution, margin arrangement, and letter proportion are analyzed.

Distribution

Distribution refers to how letters, words, and lines are positioned. There are various ways to assess handwriting. One key measure is the module, which serves as a reference point for what is considered normal. Normal handwriting should be clear, proportional, and organized. Dots, accents, and commas should be placed precisely.

According to Augusto Vels, the module that governs a “normal” distribution is as follows:

1. Normal spacing between letters (within the same word): Equivalent to the width of the ovals in the letters a, o, g, q, and d.
2. Spacing between words: Equal to the width of the letter m in the same handwriting.
3. Spacing between lines: Should be three times the height of the letter m in the same handwriting. The lower parts of the letters from the upper line should never mix with the upper parts of the letters from the lower line.

Clear, Orderly, or Normal Layout

There is harmony between the text and the white space, following the previously mentioned patterns. The letters do not overlap, and the spacing between letters, words, and lines is balanced. The letters are well-formed and executed precisely.

Interpretation: This indicates that the person possesses mental balance and clarity of ideas, as well as the ability to reflect and reason logically. It reflects a sense of order and an awareness of distances, both physical and social. It also suggests strong organizational skills and effective use of energy.

Confused, Disorganized Writing

There is a lack of proper spacing between letters, words, and lines. The previously mentioned rules are not followed, making the text difficult to understand.

The distribution of space is either insufficient or flawed. Letters are too close together (sticking to one another) or overlap (intruding into each other’s space). There are noticeable difficulties in letter formation. Words tend to merge or touch, and letters from upper lines invade those below. Sometimes, even if there is no direct contact, interference occurs between the upper and lower parts of the letters. This means that the writing encroaches on the space meant for the next line.

Interpretation: This writing style is associated with individuals who have unclear thoughts, a lack of organization, and a tendency to be dependent or intrusive. It indicates emotional instability, a changeable temperament, dissociation, unstable relationships, and impulsivity (especially when words touch).

Concentrated Writing

The spacing between letters, words, and lines is smaller than the standard but does not affect readability. The text dominates over the white space.

The entire text is written using continuous sentences, with no paragraph breaks or indentation. Although legibility is maintained and graphic elements do not overlap, the written text is more prominent than the surrounding blank space. Writing may be compact between letters, words, and lines—without clashing—yet the spacing remains narrower than usual.

Psychological Meaning: This writing style reflects logical thinking and strong concentration skills. It is associated with a prudent, discreet, foresighted, and frugal person. There is also a tendency to save, collect, and preserve things. The writer may be introverted and reserved.

The spacing between words indicates how a person relates to others. When words are closely connected, it suggests very close relationships and a tendency toward dependency.

Spaced-Out Distribution

The spacing between letters, words, and lines exceeds the standard without affecting readability. White space dominates over the text, and the letters appear disconnected.

Psychological Meaning:This writing style reflects dispersed energy, which can lead to low productivity in tasks. It is associated with a person who is not very foresighted and tends to establish more distant relationships. They have a need for solitude, are withdrawn and distrustful, and value freedom and independence. They dislike relationships that feel suffocating and may struggle with social interactions.

Organized and Disorganized Writing

Expressing thoughts in writing is not difficult or effortful; it flows easily.

Psychological Significance: This writing style reflects a good level of education, clarity of thought, emotional maturity, and stability in relationships. The person can express what they think and feel without focusing on the act of writing itself.

For writing to be considered organized, it must remain clear throughout the entire text. When analyzing a letter, if at the beginning (where conscious thought predominates) clear spacing between lines, words, and letters is observed, but at the end (where the unconscious dominates) the text becomes more condensed or confusing, the writing is considered disorganized.

If the writing is excessively calligraphic, it indicates dependence on a model or standard, lacks autonomy, and is a sign of immaturity.

How to analyze Layout in Graphology

Measuring Handwriting Spacing: A Guide to Analyzing Letter, Word, and Line Distances in Graphology

1. How to Measure the Distance Between Letters

In the first three lines of text, measure the width of the ovals and obtain the average. Measure the spacing between letters and obtain the average. Compare both averages to determine whether the writing being analyzed is normal, concentrated, or spaced.

By measuring the distance of the vertical lines that pass through the center of each letter, you can deduce whether the spacing between letters is regular or irregular. When measuring the “m” or “w,” each section must be measured separately.

Repeat the process with three lines from the middle of the text and three lines from the end. Comparing the type of spacing between letters in three parts of the text (at the beginning, middle, and end) allows for conclusions to be drawn that take into account the conscious and unconscious levels.
For graphology, the conscious is reflected at the beginning of a text. As the text progresses, the subject focuses on “what is written” and neglects “how it is written.” This allows the unconscious content to emerge.
This is primarily observed in the left and right margins. The gradient is established from the upper left (governed by the conscious) to the lower right (governed by the unconscious). The corresponding psychological interpretation is then assigned.

2. How to measure the distance between words

In the first three lines of the text, the width of the letters m is measured. The average is obtained. The spacing between words is measured, and the average is obtained. These are compared to determine whether the writing is normal, spaced, or concentrated. The corresponding psychological interpretation is then assigned. Repeat the process for three lines in the middle of the text and three at the end to draw conclusions, taking into account the conscious and unconscious levels.

3. Measure the distance between lines

In the first three lines of the text, measure the height of the letters “m.” Obtain the average. Measure the spacing between lines. Compare the averages to determine whether the spacing between lines corresponds to normal, spaced, or concentrated writing. Repeat the process for the middle and end of the text, as in the previous cases.

By understanding and analyzing the distances in handwriting, we can gain valuable insights into the conscious and unconscious processes that influence our personality and emotions, allowing for a deeper interpretation of our inner world.

We’re so used to them that we barely pay attention anymore. And here lies an interesting fact: when we write numbers automatically, like signing our name, we do so under the influence of our subconscious. This process can reveal deep aspects of our inner self.

How Do You Write Your Numbers?

Have you ever wondered how you write numbers?
A simple way to find out is by writing the number sequence from 0 to 9 and observing it closely. Do you write them in a line or a column?

Additionally, when writing a number, do you accompany it with any gestures? Every detail matters, and numbers, beyond their apparent simplicity, can reveal much more than we might imagine.

The Role of Numbers in Graphological Analysis

The Role of Numbers in Graphological Analysis

While the study of numbers is commonly used in Labor Graphological Analysis (Handwriting Analysis For Business), incorporating the Number Test provides valuable insights. This method offers information about:

• The writer’s general objectivity.
• Practical attitudes.
• Decision-making processes regarding material, economic, and technical values.
• Their ability to face concrete problems in reality.

In Graphological Tests Evaluations, analyzing several spontaneously written texts is essential. A single text, no matter how extensive, is insufficient for assessing the writer’s consistency. This analysis explores key areas such as emotional, psychological, and behavioral stability. Furthermore, it delves into the strength and maturity of the individual’s self-image and identity, which are studied particularly through their signature and flourish (rúbrica).

Materials for Graphological Study

For a comprehensive evaluation of personality traits, it is recommended to analyze two or more free texts written by the same individual. These samples may include:

1. Free texts: The person writes whatever comes to mind at that moment.
2. Texts with specific prompts, such as:
   • The Test of My Hands: Writing or speaking freely about their hands for 20 minutes.
   • Completing phrases like:
     • “I was walking, and suddenly I saw in the sky…”
     • “I…”
   • Answering written questions.

To these prompts, adding the Number Test is highly beneficial.

The Number Test Instructions

The Number Test requires the evaluated individual to complete two tasks:

1. Write several rows of numbers:
   • They choose the numbers freely, without restrictions, simply writing whatever comes to mind at the moment.
2. Perform basic mathematical operations:
   • This involves simple calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.
   • These operations must be neatly organized into columns (aligned properly), and several calculations should be performed based on the individual’s choice.

Graphology The Hidden Influence of Numbers

This test aims to evaluate not only the individual’s basic math skills but also:

• Organizational ability.
• Creativity.
• Decision-making processes.
• Their capacity to handle structured tasks.

Read also: Graphology: How to analyze Numbers

Skills Detected Through Number Analysis

The analysis of numbers can reveal various attributes, including:

• Objectivity.
• Attention to detail and precision.
• Ambition for material success and personal growth.
• Mathematical and calculation abilities.
• Technical and administrative competencies.
• Practical intelligence for solving problems.
• Honesty in handling resources.
• Attitudes marked by pride or humility.
• Material selfishness, such as greed or hoarding.
• Poor judgment in managing finances, including wastefulness.

Formal Analysis of Numbers

The formal analysis considers eight key aspects:

1. Order
2. Size
3. Pressure
4. Direction
5. Form/Shape
6. Inclination/Slant
7. Speed
8. Continuity

Order

The way individuals organize and distribute columns and rows of numbers reveals their mental accuracy and values.

• Clear and well-organized numbers:
  • Indicate self-control, clarity, and objectivity in judgment.
  • Reflect importance placed on financial matters and personal ethics regarding material assets.
• Disorganized numbers:
  • Crooked lines, irregular spacing, and poorly formed digits suggest unclear value judgments and imbalance in financial decisions.
  • May hint at dishonesty or moral deviations in handling money.

Size

• Large numbers:
  • Indicate grandiose dreams or speculative tendencies.
  • Excessively large numbers may reflect impracticality or wastefulness.
• Small numbers:
  • Suggest inferiority complexes, isolation, or excessive frugality, even when intelligence and capability are present.

Pressure

The pressure applied reflects:

• Strength or weakness of character.
• The depth of emotions regarding financial matters.

Speed

• Fast writing: Shows quick thinking and action but can indicate impatience or disorganization when illegible.
• Slow writing: May reveal hesitation or laziness.

Direction

• Horizontal alignment: Indicates clarity of thought and sound judgment.
• Ascending lines: Reflect enthusiasm and initiative.
• Descending lines: Suggest fatigue, depression, or poor financial outcomes.

Inclination/Slant

• Vertical numbers: Show self-control and reflection.
• Rightward slant: Indicates passion and a desire for approval.
• Leftward slant: Reflects repression, dishonesty, or timidity.

Continuity

• Connected numbers: Suggest mental fatigue or obsessive tendencies.
• Simplified numbers: Indicate aesthetic sensibility and synthesis ability.

Form/ Shape

• Calligraphic numbers: Show adaptability.
• Complicated numbers: Suggest dissatisfaction or lack of spontaneity.

Summary: Numbers and Handwriting Analysis

The study of numbers offers a unique window into the subconscious mind, revealing valuable insights about personality, decision-making, and attitudes toward material values. By analyzing how numbers are written, we can uncover patterns of thought, emotional tendencies, and practical skills. This simple yet powerful tool enhances the depth of graphological analysis, making it an essential resource for understanding human behavior and character.

Hello everyone! In graphology, pressure refers to the force behind a stroke. When we talk about “graphic pressure”, we mean the force with which we press the pen on the paper. Some people barely touch the pen when they write, while others apply significant pressure. Some people achieve clean strokes, while others tend to have messy, thick writing. It is essential to work with original samples, although good quality photocopies can give a rough idea of the pressure used when writing. It is also important to consider the materials used, such as the pen tip, ink, and paper quality. Factors such as writing surface, writing position and environmental conditions also influence graphic pressure. In cases where irregularities are found in the writing pressure, it is recommended to obtain several samples to investigate whether they are due to the tools used.

There is an “easy” way to feel the pressure a pen applies to paper as you write. Simply run your hand on the backside of the sheet. What do you feel?

What does the pressure of the strokes reveal?

From the Psychological point of view, the pressure in the stroke reflects the mental energy of a person. Confidence and conviction in what we do are manifested in writing through pressure. When writing, sometimes we are not aware of how much force we use. The muscles of the hand move on their own, beyond our control or will. Both too little and too much pressure can indicate disorders or health problems. Proper writing pressure indicates health, vitality and strength.

What is healthy handwriting pressure?

PRESSURE GRAPHIC MODULE

Pressure should not show too many sudden fluctuations. It should be firm and clear, without twisting, shaking, shaking, breaking or congestion.

Max Pulver believes that stroke strength or pressure when writing is an indicator of a person’s creative productivity, although he makes no assumptions about the specific quality of the work produced.

The sub-aspects that we will analyze in this article are: Tension, caliber, depth and relief.

Tension in Graphology

Firm handwriting pressure

In a tense and firm writing, there are clear and straight movements. It is associated with straight lines, well-defined and clean strokes. There are no undulations or inflections in any direction. Overall, the writing is dynamic and decisive. Interpretation: These individuals are characterized by reason, logical thinking, concentration, and introversion. They exhibit security, stability, a tendency to control everything, and a dominant personality. Signs of introversion indicate good resistance to change. While they don’t seek dominance, they display firmness and won’t allow themselves to be dominated. Higher tension correlates with increased resistance and physical dynamism. Negatively, accumulated emotional tensions can lead to sudden, violent, or disproportionate reactions, such as intense anger, aggression, or abrupt behavior.

Loose pressure

Tension is loose when movements are twisted, undulating, or curved. Strokes may have angles but lack tension. Interpretation: It is seen as a lack of firmness in personality, an inability to act, a weak inclination to act, a deficit in vital tone, and poor resistance to change. It is also associated with greater imagination and childish characteristics in personality. Individuals with these traits tend to be unstable, insecure, and dependent, although they can sometimes be communicative and extroverted. It is linked to the lymphatic temperament. Note: In Gille’s “Psychology of Writing,” Neurasthenia is mentioned. This term was used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to describe a disorder characterized by excessive fatigue, exhaustion, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Nowadays, these symptoms could be associated with disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome or anxiety disorders.

Soft pressure

In this writing, predominant movements are curved with little pressure. It is often associated with descending lines. Loops curve, forming a “C” shape. Interpretation: It adapts without resistance, displaying sociability, patience, sweetness, loyalty, and passivity. Small angles may appear at the base or top of letters, or above “t.” According to Crepieux-Jamín, these angles are justified because “soft people are stubborn. The weakness of their energy leads them to say NO to everything proposed. The lower the intellectual level, the greater the obstinacy.”

Alternately Tense and Loose handwriting

It is firm in some areas and loose in others, for example, tense loops and a loose middle, or vice versa. Changes in tension can also be observed in different graphic zones, taking into account the symbolism of space.

Depth pressure in Graphology

Deep pressure handwriting: Depth is perceived by touch on the back of the sheet, leaving a groove or can be visualized using a magnifying glass. Breaks in the paper may appear. Interpretation: Deep and strong pressure expresses the amount of energy the individual possesses. Increased pressure leads to a decrease in graphic speed, translating to slower mental processes, work endurance, and concentration capacity. In general, it signifies a good intellectual level, logical thinking, good health, decisiveness, and resolution. Perseverance, impulsiveness, introversion, independence, yet appropriate social interaction. According to Pulver: Good creative activity, regardless of the quality of the production.

Superficial pressure handwriting: This occurs when the stroke does not penetrate the paper, and there is no groove felt on the back of the sheet. The intensity of color varies within the same stroke. Interpretation: This type of writing symbolizes a person with more superficial and magical thinking, indecisive and insecure, not authentic in their expressions. Distrustful, even if extroverted, they are dependent and have a need to be accepted by others.

Relief in Graphology

The relief for graphology is the contrast between the background and the written text. It is personal and independent of intention. With the same paper and ink, if we ask several people to write a text, we will observe variations in the relief.

High Relief: Powerful contrast between ink and paper. It gains more value when combined with clear, orderly and simplified writing. Interpretation: Expresses vitality, psychological balance and work capacity. Extraversion, independence, desire to stand out and tendency to impose one’s own opinion.

Low Relief: Faded and pale writing, lack of contrast between ink and paper. Interpretation: It means slow thinking, absorbing and selfish personality, narcissism, influenceability and dependence.

Caliber pressure in Graphology

In graphology, the thickness or width of the line is called caliber.

Nurtured Writing: When the writing has a caliber greater than half a millimeter it is called nourished. Indicates good psychophysical health and good performance and productivity.

Robust writing: When it contains deep, firm, fast and supported writing characteristics, and the caliber exceeds 3/4 of a millimeter, it is called robust. Indicates greater mental than physical strength.

Graphic pressure abnormalities

Crooked strokes, breaks, shaky lines and pasty writing. These types of writing anomalies are addressed in Graphopathology. It is important to note that the graphologist does not diagnose but rather collaborates and advises in disciplinary teams to prevent diseases.

Sources: Vels. A, Writing and Personality; Vels, A, Dictionary of Graphology.

Hello friends! The initial and final strokes in graphology refer to the first and last movement we make when forming each of the letters. As always, I emphasize that in order to achieve a correct interpretation, the traits should never be analyzed in isolation. The entire context of the writing must be considered, and whether there is a predominance of letter shapes or movements should be observed.

Psychological interpretation of Starting and Ending Strokes

The initial and final strokes in graphology represent how an individual begins and ends an action.

The initial stroke that appears at the beginning of each graphic sign can be letters, numbers, or symbols (+, *, #, $, 1, /). It symbolizes how one connects with the surrounding environment, how the action begins, the origin of the impulse, and the intentions in motion. It reflects a person’s attitude towards their desires and needs. It is linked to memories, experiences, and emotional experiences from the past.

Initial and ending strokes according to Zone and Shape

For their interpretation, the symbolism of Max Pulver’s graphic space is applied. According to the zone of writing where the stroke begins: upper, middle, and lower zone. The shape that the stroke takes is also considered: angle or curve. In all cases, a constant must result, as isolated strokes are not taken into account.

1. When the impulse begins in the upper zone, upon connecting with the surrounding environment, it draws inspiration from intellect or spirituality.
2. On the other hand, when the initial strokes start from the middle zone, it signifies being driven by emotional needs. The person moves through life seeking contact with others, inspired by their emotions, sentimental experiences, and daily needs.
3. The impulse that starts from the lower zone of the writing indicates material and instinctive tendencies that can be more or less passionate or violent, depending on whether curves or angles predominate.

Shape

• Predominance of curves: Curves give the initial strokes the magic of adaptability, smoothness, joy, and cordiality.

• Predominance of angles: If they are straight and end in an angle, it means that desires go directly to their goal regardless of the situation or conditions, without adapting and inflexibly.

• Long and curved initial stroke: Ability to achieve goals and satisfy one’s own tastes.

• Diagonal: It is a sign of social maladjustment. The person becomes blinded by anger in the face of frustrations, argues, attacks, and gets offended. The more rigid and violent the movement, the more combative the individual.

• With a harpoon: If accompanied by diagonal strokes, the person’s attitude is reinforced by obstinacy, tenacity, and intransigence. If the subsequent movement is curved, it means they can yield to a gentle suggestion.

• Spiral: The spiral is an egocentric, narcissistic gesture that revolves around oneself. The person believes that situations are only as they see them and becomes pleasant only in order to achieve what they want. The initial stroke is of less importance because it moves away from the center of the self. However, in the final strokes, the interpretation is more pronounced as they “coil” further within themselves.

• Initial stroke with a loop: Ability to conquer the environment and obtain approval and satisfaction.

• Horizontal: Indicates stubborn effort to reach goals regardless of the resistance encountered within or outside oneself.

• Arched: Reflects a desire to appear. Klages speaks of “distinguished manners and chosen ways.” It shows pride and superiority.

• Short: Symbolizes liberation from the Narcissistic complex and little concern for one’s own self. The person identifies their existence in others, in their profession.

• Direct: Corresponds to simplified writing. It gets to the heart of the matter, does not dwell on trivialities, has the ability to synthesize, and is concise and decisive.

Initial traits according to Pressure

• Weak: The pen lightly touches the paper. This initial “delicacy” symbolizes indecision due to shyness or fear when starting new actions.

• Good pressure: In this case, there is pressure at the beginning of the stroke. It symbolizes initiating situations with energy, confidence, and firmness.

Different ending strokes

The direction of the final stroke represents the future. If the subject goes “towards others” or “against”. It also indicates the need for space.

• Clear: The final strokes of the letters are executed correctly. They express reliability. It means that matters are concluded responsibly, especially when they are the final strokes of letters in the name and surname of a signature.

• Confused: These are poorly executed strokes, characteristic of good negotiators and individuals who do not commit fully. They seek to take maximum advantage of situations while leaving matters unclear, indicating mistrust and unreliability.

• Ascending: Upward strokes have a dual interpretation. Therefore, it is important to see the rest of the text. It symbolizes optimism and efforts to overcome adversity, but it can also lead to rebellion and resistance to authority.

• Descending: Tendency toward discouragement and depression.

• Contained: It is interpreted as difficulties in connecting with the environment, inhibitions. The more the final line is contained, the more accentuated is prudence, reserve, shyness, and control of impulses when making contact with others. To such an extent that he can annul himself in the face of realities and other people.

• Projected: Sudden movement at the end. It means that the person cannot control themselves. They try to control their response but “explode.”

• Mass: It becomes thicker and thicker.

• Point: Unlike the previous type, its thickness decreases.

The long endings associated with large, extensive and very sloping writing indicate an uncontrollable need to talk, talkativeness, indiscretion.

Ends prolonged downwards: If the line is straight and firm, it expresses a determined attitude or a specific desire. If the line is heavy or pasty, it may indicate materialism or low mood.

This concludes the article about initial and final strokes in graphology. Keep browsing this website to learn more about graphological gesture types.

Let’s explore human nature through handwriting

This handwriting analysis chart reveals key personality traits reflected in the way we write. From types of intelligence—logical, social, verbal, emotional—to attitudes toward money, intimacy, loyalty, and even the unspoken… it’s all hidden in the strokes.

Graphology is a projective personality test that uncovers temperament, character, and the biological and genetic factors influencing our behavior. While often misunderstood, a professional graphologist is trained and guided by ethics, far from the stereotype of someone predicting the future with a magnifying glass.

This chart includes traits and handwriting features that will support you throughout the analysis process and help you see the complexity of the human psyche—between the lines.

Read also: Analysis of Letters

• Handwriting Analisis Letter A Lowercase
• Graphology Letter D Lowercase
• Letter G in handwriting
• Handwriting Analisis Letter M
• Graphology Letter P
• Handwriting Analysis Letter S
• Handwriting Analysis Letter T

Did you know your handwriting says a lot about you?

Through this type of graphic analysis, we can discover parts of human nature that usually go unnoticed. For example, it’s possible to identify different types of intelligence (logical, social, verbal, emotional), your attitude toward money, intimacy, your feelings toward others, loyalty, and even things you don’t usually say—but that show up in your writing.

You can analyze your handwriting by looking at things like the shape of the letters, the pressure you use, size, slant, zones (upper, middle, and lower), how you cross your “t”s, and how you organize the page (margins, spacing between letters, words, and lines), and much more.

On our website, you’ll find a complete guide to help you understand what your handwriting reveals about you. Explore it—and get to know yourself better!

To analyze your handwriting, there are 8 key aspects to look at.
Each one shows something different about your personality. By studying them, we can understand how you think, feel, and act on different levels. It’s like a map of who you are—just from your writing!

What Your Handwriting Reveals About You: The Power of First Impressions

We write every day, but we rarely think about what it really means.
Every time you pick up a pen and write something, many psychological factors come into play. All types of graphics—such as writing, drawing, or painting—are created through complex mechanisms that involve your entire personality.

In handwriting analysis, the professional graphologist observes what each letter conveys. At first glance, it’s possible to notice if the letters are legible, how the page is organized, whether there are mistakes, cross-outs, corrections, or if the signature matches the text style.

This is called a general overview or gestalt analysis of the handwriting, and it gives important clues about whether the handwriting is harmonious or if there are disproportions that reveal much more than what meets the eye.

Signature analysis: Your signature will speak about you more than you can believe. Your signature is the most genuine expression of personality. It reveals virtues, flaws, complexes, ambitions, feelings for inferiority or superiority, capacity for adaptation or tendencies to become lonely. There are many signature models that may help you recognize a few details.

And that’s a wrap on our look at the Handwriting Analysis Chart! If you found it interesting, don’t forget to share it with your friends. There’s so much more to learn about how your handwriting reveals different parts of your personality. Make sure to check out our next post, where we’ll dive deeper into the specific traits you can discover through your writing. Keep writing and keep exploring!

Read also: handwriting Interpretation: Print and Cursive. You can also follow us on Facebook for more updates and tips.

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Read also: Introduction to Graphology’s Symbolic Languaje

Learn Graphology

The meaning of the term Graphology is the “Study of graphisms”. Graphology is a technique that studies writing and the whole graphical production. What does it do it for? To determine the type of personality of an individual through handwriting analysis. Although it seems impossible, a trained graphologist is prepared to detect all the information of the writer.

What is not Graphology? Graphology is not a science because it does not comply with the requisites of the scientific method. It is not a predictive test either. Graphology does not try to guess anything.

This technique reveals personal traits, capacity and abilities, past experiences that have left prints in personality, physical and psychological health problems. Present studies assure that through Graphology it is possible to detect even lies.

How does Graphology work?

Graphology is based on projective techniques (which are instruments that reveal subconscious aspects of conduct. They facilitate the bringing to surface of all of which is nested in our subconscious) in psychoanalysis and neuroscience.

The act of writing consists in executing a movement that, like all movements, depends on the nerve system. This system possesses “our brain” as the principal coordinator, which sends impulses to our hand through nervous signals, achieving the motor act.

This is much more complex than what I am describing here, but the intention is to reflect that if we write with the right or left hand, the feet or mouth, the strokes should be similar (with more or less skill due that both hands have a different training). It is proved that the impulse comes from the brain. Through a bidirectional circuit between the muscles of the hand and the nervous system, the full image of the writer is expressed on the sheet of paper.

What are graphical techniques?

Graphical techniques are projective instruments that are applied in order to recognize the most primitive aspects of the individual. Graphology is the art that intends to find, through the characteristics of letters, psychological qualities of the writer. We know the importance of confirming the findings achieved by other techniques.

German Ludwig Klages, in his work “Writing and Character”, relates the movements and the motivations of the individual in the act of writing and proposes that the human being is driven by countering forces, which are rhythm and measure (rhythm as propellant of movement and measure as the opposed force in relation to rhythm that will inhibit the activity). Max Pulver then goes in depth on the Klage´s idea by studing the relationship of writing and the graphical space. He affirms the existence of a certain analogy between graphical space and temporal space and between writing movements with certain impulses of the human being. (If a person is introverted, this will be represented in the writing, as well as if the person is expansive). That is where Max Pulver´s theory emerges (two crossing edges that divide the sheet of paper in superior, inferior, right and left areas and the center, where both lines intersect, representing the Ego of the individual).

The blank sheet of paper is the “screen” through which the individual “projects” the inner representation of himself, originating the so called “projective test”. The line is associated to the horizontal line of the cross. The high stroke of the letter follows the direction of the superior line and the lower stroke of the same, of the inferior one. That is how we determine a superior and inferior area and, starting from a central point, a left and right area, configuring the scheme of the cross.

What had been applied to writing was extended to drawings. Drawings are productions that are particular to each individual, which express the “Ego” symbolically, its desires and fantasies.

We can access the psychological apparatus and the deep levels of the personality through drawing analysis. In graphical tests, it is more difficult that the individual manages to control himself or manages to manipulate or hide any situation, as opposed to verbal tests. Graphical tests are used to investigate psychological disorders quickly before they are expressed through another practice. Projective tests grant preponderance to the corporal image that each individual on themselves and this is subconscious. It is related to the own history of each individual.

Read also: Graphotherapy. Change your handwriting

What does the Graphologist analyze?

The present Graphologist is a specialist with studies and ethics, who describes, interprets and validates the results he obtains through handwriting.

• Describes: When he enumerates the referential characteristics to each graphical symbol.
• Interprets: When he assigns a meaning to the way of producing strokes in context.
• Validates: When he verifies the results that are obtained with other tests.

Handwriting is like a fingerprint, a unique and unequalled gesture that distinguishes us from the rest. Throughout life, the calligraphy learned in the first years evolves along with personality.

Graphology as a Professional Skill

Graphological analysis requires an exhaustive and meticulous examination in order to find the individual traits of the writer. The professional will examine whether the graphical context is compensated or decompensated, altered or disturbed. This is determined through different factors like the spacing between letters, words and lines, whether letters overlap in the same line or with the next line, the presence of blank spaces, the width of margins, the cohesion of letters, whether they are altogether or not, the pressure used for writing, whether there are prints on the reverse of the sheet of paper, the thickness of strokes, color, the speed of strokes, whether it is fast or slow.

Graphical Harmony

The Graphologist is a trained professional who must detect the existence or absence of graphical harmony in a piece of writing. Graphical harmony is the equilibrium in time, layout and movement that integrate the so called graphical vectors. The harmony that we talk about is not linked to the “neat writing”, lacking spontaneity, monotonous, nor excessively decorated handwriting, it is not calligraphic handwriting learned in school, sign of evolved personalities. It is expected that writing is: spontaneous, without hesitations or doubts, without interruption in strokes. This is normal handwriting impulse. When disorders in the graphical impulse appear, they originate alterations and the loss of integrity of the writing. These are called disturbances (it indicates the presence of pathologies).

Importance of the interview

There are people who affirm that Graphology is a technique that does not require the presence of an interviewee. We do not agree with that. It is very important to know information like age, socio-cultural level, whether he is left or right-handed, how he takes the sheet of paper, what color and type of subscribing tool he selects, whether the consultant is consuming any medication, whether he has a disease, wears glasses, whether he is going through a special or abnormal situation or psychophysical circumstance, whether he is comfortable or nervous. All in all, this will contribute at the moment of interpretation and devolution that the Graphologist carries out. It is recommended to analyze prior writings of the same person so as to detect variability, evolution or flaws in writing.

Sigmund Freud introduces symbolism of space into psychology. According to symbolism of space and shapes, the so called graphical vectors of writing are outlined.

What are graphical vectors?

Vectors are forces or cardinal directions that graphic gestures acquire that are considered depending on where they are located:

Vector “A” Spiritual on the superior area: Represents imagination, sublimed aspirations, superiority ambitions, intellectuality, abstract thinking. It is the so called “Superego” in the theory of the psychological apparatus by Freud.

Vector “C” Emotional: In the middle area, Freud locates the “Ego”, which represents the principle of reality, the present and the affective tendencies of the Ego in relationship to itself in present time. On the base of letters we have the limit with the subconscious, where “censorship” is symbolically located. On the upper zone of the middle area of letters a, o, m, lowercase, among others, there is the limit between the emotional and the spiritual; between the concrete and the abstract.

Vector “B” Biological on the inferior area: It represents the instinctive part of the personality, tendencies and physical, material and organic needs. The motor needs, like physical movement, work, sports, change of environment, technical and practical interests that require the command of senses. The attachment to the language, the family and the country of origin. Customs also belong to that vector. To Freud, this is the area where we find the “Id”.

Vectors of contact “I” and “D” correspond to the right and left areas: The aforementioned vectors are divided with an imaginary edge that symbolizes the “Ego” in the left sphere (of letters, words, lines, and the whole page) that represents the regressive aspects of the non-detachment of the mother womb, the immature “Ego”, the primary bonds, the past, introversion, fixation in the anal or oral stage, childish attitudes, feminine attitudes.

The right sphere reflects an individual who has been able to detach from the mother womb, who has generated growth, a mature “Ego”, adult attitude. It refers to affective relationships with the world, communication, extroversion and advance towards the future, projection, influence of the father image, active, aggressive, masculine.

How are these vectors related to Graphology?

PDF FREE PRINTABLE

Click here to download the PDF: Printable Page Max Pulver’s Symbolisms

We shall explain this topic through the symbolisms of Max Pulver. When we observe a text, before we read what it says, we will have to consider:

• The blank sheet of paper
• The text.

The symbolism of space helps us analyze the place the text occupies in the sheet of paper and the execution of letters.

We shall study whether the text moves towards the right of the sheet of paper, leaving a big margin on the left, or if it is located on the left, or if it is displaced upwards and there is space left at the bottom. The possibilities are multiple. According to where the writing is mostly developed, that is the vector we shall use for interpretation.

Pulver points out that there are archaic symbols that we carry within ourselves since the times of dawn. Mental associations that we use in a daily basis in life that guide us without being conscious about it. Human beings make some associations such as:

• Left: The mother, yesterday, introversion, the past, the beginnings, fear of the ego to continue.
• Right: The father, getting together, the future, extroversion, achievements.
• Center: Id, present, immediate events, today, self-control.
• Up: The sky, God, light, daytime, spirituality.
• Down: Nighttime, instincts, darkness, depth.

These symbols that we reveal in the graphic space in an unconscious way correspond to our behavior.

The Left Area symbolizes the regressive aspects of personality, incapacity to detach from the mother’s womb, the immature “EGO”. Primary bonds, the past, introversion and reflection of the individual are analyzed here.

The Right Area speaks about people who have been able to detach from their mother, who generated the growth of a mature “EGO”. It refers to the affective relationships with the world, communication and the future.

The Central Area, where we place the “EGO” of the theory of the psychological system developed by Freud, which represents the principle of reality and the present. It corresponds to the affective traits of the Ego in relation to itself during present time. When people write predominantly in this zone, it is interpreted that they need to be the “center” for the others.

The Superior Area symbolizes spirituality, idealism, imagination, intellect. Freud, in his theory of the psychological system, calls it “SUPEREGO”

The Inferior Area represents the instinctive part of the personality, the motor, the biological and concrete. To Freud, this is called ID.

This is the end of the article Learn Graphology: Handwriting Analysis. Keep navigating this website and read also: Handwriting Analysis letter “s” and Handwriting Analysis Signature. Follow us on facebook!

Read also: Graphology Basics

Discover your Personality

It is demonstrated that the human being writes in the same way he walks, moves, talks, gesticulates: He writes according to how he really “IS”. When an individual is defined, for example, as hot-blooded, he will writes in curvy, relatively large, connected in between slanted to the right letters, and his baseline will be ascending. Subconcious feelings are reflected in the written text. The extroverted, seductive, saving, who have ability for command, for sales, will all express their characteristics in their way of writing.

Definition of Graphology:  What is Graphology?

The word Graphology comes from the Greek: Graphos: Drawing, design, writing, and Logos: Study or treaty.

Graphology is defined as “The art that expects to find out, due to the characteristics of letters, some of the psychological traits of the writer”. During its beginnings, Graphology tried to get to know the individual, analyzing the different characters of writing. It tried to find the particular differences among individuals. At the end of the XIX century, Ludwig Klages in his work “Writing and Character” proposes an approach that takes into account the movements of the individual in the act of writing. This approach handles the analysis of writing relating the behavior of the individual and the underlying motivations.

What is Graphology Analysis based on?

Graphology is a projective technique that studies handwriting. It is based on the analysis of shape, space and movement ​ of writing.It is based on symbolism of graphical space in a subconscious way, it corresponds with our behavior. The graphical techniques are projective instruments that apply with the goal of recognizing the most primitive aspects of the individual.

Finding Your Power Through Writing

In  handwriting analysis we interpret:

● Impression of the whole that we get from the letter or text: According to what we habe been saying along this website, we remind that we should not analyze traits in isolation. An individual “IS” not according to how he writes a single letter nor how he draws a line. All of the graphism is closely related. In order to interpret personality it is essential to consider the whole of the graphical context.

● Graphical Aspects: The graphical categories are: Layout, size, shape, pressure, slant, continuity, speed and direction. Those will express the personality, temper and character of the writer. Each one of them reveals the different levels of personality in the psychological sense.

● Existing relationship between signature and text: The signature is considered as the “mark” or “seal” of personality. The shortest path to get to the deep Ego is through the analysis of the signature. In order not to distort the interpretation, we must analyze the signature and the text of the writer together.

● Individual Letters: It has been proven that some letters are more important than others, since they represent tendencies, states of mind and reveal preferences of the writer.

Read Also: Letter “g” in Handwriting

Graphology and Neurosciences: Thoughts and Emotions in Writing

The brain is a nervous structure of great hierarchy that regulates multiple functions of the whole body. The act of writing is the result of certain cerebral areas, in which we combine processes that are related to movement, the intellectual and the emotional. In this complex line of connections, millions of brain cells are activated and work together. The impulses that activate the brain cells are electro-chemical and carry the information that gets to the hand, with the order of writing movement on graphical space.

Thoughts affect the type of behavior of individuals. Thoughts become material and concrete and writing proves and reflects it. It is a result of what occurs in the brain.

Starting from thoughts, certain chemical substances that provoke feelings and emotions are generated. These, at the same time, are felt in the body and foster thoughts. A closed circuit is established that is intensified, for good or bad. Each thought provokes a chemical reaction that corresponds to an emotion in the body.

Self-Eval of Your Handwriting

When thoughts are happy, optimistic, the brain produces chemicals (endorfines, dopamine, etc) that cause happiness. These chemicals affect writing and lead to an ascending line, open ovals, extense writing, letters endings to the right and upwards, among other traits.

Negative thoughts, of anger and madness produce chemicals (neuropeptides, among others) to which the bod responds, which lead to feelings of hatred, madness and upset. These chemicals close ovals, compress gestures, push lines down, final strokes are repressed, they go down or to te left, among other traits.

Before the lack of trust of many people towards Graphology, the best explanation is to show them that when we write, the one writing is the brain.

No one doubts the results of a Neurologist before an electroencephalogram. Why doubt writing, which is such a complex cerebral expression?

How does Graphology Work?

The number of companies that use this tool, Graphological Analysis, is bigger and bigger. Specially, it is used in hiring, selection and promotion processes. It is a simple, economical technique that offers quick results. Ads requesting handwritten letters are the ones in which a Graphologist will participate for sure.

Do not try to force any trait, or to “write neatly”. The Graphologist will detect that. Just write the letter when you are calm and in a good time and there your abilities and skills will emerge.

Do not allow someone to write for you, since an experimented interviewer will detect it.

Graphology has many different applications such as professional and vocational orientation, premarriage, public relations and sales orientation. It is also used in criminology through forensic graphology, in health through Graphopathology and reeducation or also known as Graphotherapy.

Self-knowledge and Graphology

We go through life barely knowing the surface of our identity and we do not always stop to deepen in our feelings, wishes, behavior and abilities. We all at some time in our existence wonder who we are, why we have come here, where we are heading. The reason is that our busy lives, full of stimulus, keep us in continuous movement, keeping us away from self-contact. It turns into a real challenge when we look for enough time to take a look inside of us.

Graphology is an excellent technique for self-knowledge, that discovers the secrets of our soul, allowing to know the characteristics of your personality, character temper and states of mind through writing.

Human beings behave before a blank sheet of paper just like they behave in life itself. There, we express our energy, the way we use time, idealism or materialism, expectations or physical, psychological and soul conditions.

In each stroke that we distractedly execute in letters of writings, signatures, drawings, we express our way of thinking. There, we print our emotions and manifested or hidden feelings, our latent or developed abilities, our conduct and the way we connect with ourselves and who surround us. Also, in these graphical expressions we express those aspects that are not resolved or that we still need to heal.

Can Handwriting tell Your Personality?

We are usually distracted by the way we think we are or we should be, or what others think we should be. Pleasing ourselves is a hard task and we do not always feel at ease with that true being that dwells in our interior.

The Power of Self-Knowledge

You can Understand Yourself with Handwriting Analysis

It seems like self-knowledge is something very positive to have, but extremely hard to reach. Graphology is an excellent tool for self-knowledge

Self-knowledge, as the name indicates, means to know yourself in a deep and intimate way. It includes feelings, thoughts, and the influence these have on our behavior. Self-knowledge is related to motivations, needs and desire, opinions and points of view and ethical values.

Summing up, self-knowledge or knowing yourself implies “taking a look” in detail on thoughts, behavior, traits in character, values and emotions in order to ask ourselves the reasons for those.

Graphology Self Analysis

Self-knowledge is conferred with power because those who know themselves understand their conducts, can determine with precision what they want for their lives, manage to get along with all situations they need to cope with and to have control on their existence.

Benefits of self-knowledge: The fact of having a deeper knowledge about ourselves carries its advantages. It helps us understand and accept what we are and understand why we do what we do. It allows us to be aware of what motivates us, realizing that although reality is only one, individuals see it from different points of view. It will all depend on “the eye of the beholder”.

Self-knowledge is translated into a great improvement in self-esteem, fluency in communication and in the bonds with others (and with ourselves). It is the key to achieve a more satisfactory and happy life.

It is essential to our own EVOLUTION, personal, professional growth and success in life.

Knowing yourselg is not only knowing who you are, but identifying goals, wishes and purpose that motivate us. Self-knowledge is related to emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence, according to Mayer, is “an ability to percieve, assimilate, comprehend and regulate our own emotions and others´, fostering emotional and intellectual growth. This way, we can use this information to guide our way of thinking and our behavior.”

Self-knowledge and Graphology: How can we achieve it?

For self-knowledge, it is important to examine emotions, what the body and soul feel. This process of self-evaluation and self-reflection through which past experiences are reflected in order to understand how we got where we stand today can be achieved through Graphology. Knowing our skills and weaknesses contributes determining our future.

According to Matilde Ras: “Handwriting es the enchanted mirror where the misterious side of the soul is reflected”.

This concludes the article about Graphology Definition. Feel free to share it with your contacts if you found it useful.

Keep reading this blog to learn more about  Graphology letter “d” and Anorexia in Handwriting and follow us on Facebook. 

What is graphology? Graphology is a projective technique which objective is the study of personality traits of individuals through the interpretation of the so called graphic strokes of handwriting. Some people call it the “psychology of writing.”

Handwriting reveals what happens in the unconscious. Graphology allows projecting experiences, memories of the unconscious.

The beginnings of this discipline are very antique, since they date back to the Chinese in the IV century BC, who emitted some phrases that coincide with the analysis that are done nowadays.
Chinese philosopher Kuo Jo-Hsu, IV century BC outlined: “Handwriting inevitably shows whether it comes from a noble mind or from a vulgar person”
Okakura, Japanese philosopher: “Each stroke of writing expresses an entire life.”
Aristotle (384-322 BC) considered the bond between writing and thinking “writing is a symbol of speech, and the latter a symbol of mental experience.”
Egyptian civilizations considered writing a sacred matter. Romans used graphology throughout centuries and then the different civilizations and cultures have applied it to identify the essence of the person writing.

Brief History of Graphology

There was a first graphologist who came up with a work prior to Camilo Baldo’s, called Prosper Aldorisius, who invented IDEOGRAPHY. In his work “IDENGRAPHICUS NUNTIUS”, Aldorisius observed that people would write in different ways, concluding that it would suppose diversity in principles, qualities, depending on the writer’s nature.

Camilo Baldo (1622), an Italian professor of philosophy of the University of Bologna, founded the School of Graphology of Paris and published: “Trattato come de una lettera misiva si cognoscano la natura e qualitá dello scrittore” “How to know, through a handwritten letter, the personality and nature of the author.” It is the first book that relates writing to personality.
There were several scientific personalities of the era who tried to systematize Graphology, like Godofredo Guillermo Leibnitz (1646-1716), Johann Caspar Lavater (1741-1801), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), Joan Louis Moreau de la Sarthe, (1771-1826), Edouard Hocquart (1787-1870).

Graphology Theory and History

Abate Jean Hippolyte Michon: The true “Father of Graphology” (1806-1881) was the one who proposed the term “Graphology”, born in France (Graphologist day is commemorated in his honor on November 21st) and founder of La Societé de Graphologie de Paris in 1871.

Jules Crépieux-Jamin (1859-1940), representative of modern Graphology, introduced the theory that states that, through trait analysis, singularity of the individual is determined as a whole, which comprises personality, character and the unconscious processes of thinking.

Ludwig Klages, (1872-1956), a German philosopher, was the one who applied the psychological theory of Gestalt to Graphology. He introduced the concept of formniveau, or shape level, as a global quality of writing. He published “Writing and Character” (1917).

Max Pulver, (1889-1952), is the one who introduced psychoanalysis into graphology and developed the theory of symbolism of space.

Girolamo Moretti (1879-1963) was a friar of the order of the Franciscans. In 191 he published “Manuale di Grafología”.

Graphology Brief History

Through Graphological Analysis it is possible to analyze patterns of writing that identify the psychological state of a person.
Graphology has been a reason for controversy since a long time ago. Those who are supportive of this technique assure that the brain sends signals along the muscles that implement writing. “It is not the hand what writes, it is the brain.”
A trained graphologist identifies the pertinent characteristics of handwriting and the way these interact. Through description of letters and the analysis of signatures, it is possible to elaborate a psychological report, confirming the behavior in the intellectual, affective and social areas.

Also read: Handwriting Analysis Chart

What is Graphology used for?

Graphological Movements

There are different Graphological Schools or Movements:

The French school of graphology describes graphic signs, letters in isolation, but a person does not reflect their personality just by the way the write the “t” bar or the “g” curl or letter “a”.

The German school, which has a gestaltic and integral vision of the perception of graphism and understands writing as a unit, studies the traits (letters), the shapes, along with the movements, the pace of the writer and, through these, they discover the nature, character, personal subconscious, the emotions of the writer and detects whether there are fixations in the phases of psychological development and analyzes the evolution of writing through time.

The Emotional school, which is based on the study of alterations that writing suffers due to emotional changes of the writer and incorporates the concept of “Lapsus Calami” to such changes that correspond to “Lapsus Linguae” in Freudian slips, have representatives like Rafael Scherman, who started it in 1912 in Germany and Kurt Honroth, a German settled in Argentina.

In order to understand what graphology is, it is essential to know the Swiss symbolic school and the Symbolism of Space of Max Pulver. Pulver was a great investigator born in Berne, 1889, who before directing his interests towards graphology and psychology, published a series of literary and philosophical works that expressed the symbolic contrasts in writing.
This investigator points out that there are archaic symbols that we carry within ourselves since the times of dawn. Mental associations that we use in a daily basis in life that guide us without being conscious about it. Human beings make some associations such as:

• Up, the sky, God, daytime, light, spirituality.
• Down, nighttime, darkness, depth, instincts.
• Right, getting together, the future, extroversion, achievements, the father.
• Left, yesterday, the past, the beginnings, the mother, fear of the ego to continue, introversion.
• Center, present, today, immediate events, me, self-control.

These symbols that we reveal in the graphic space in an unconscious way correspond to our behavior. The symbolism of space is applied to the white sheet of paper as well as to the written text. Depending on the area of the white sheet of paper that was selected to write or to draw, a different interpretation will take place.

PDF Printable page. Symbolism of Space (Max Pulver)

Explore the PDF pages on this website to find more resources you can add to your own Graphology book.

Through symbolism of space we identify the following areas:

• The Central Area, where we place the “EGO” of the theory of the psychological system developed by Freud, which represents the principle of reality and the present. It corresponds to the affective traits of the Ego in relation to itself during present time. When people write predominantly in this zone, it is interpreted that they need to be the “center” for the others.
• The Superior Area symbolizes spirituality, idealism, imagination, intellect. Freud, in his theory of the psychological system, calls it “SUPEREGO”
• The Inferior Area represents the instinctive part of the personality, the motor, the biological and concrete. To Freud, this is called ID.
• The Left Area symbolizes the regressive aspects of personality, incapacity to detach from the mother’s womb, the immature “EGO”. Primary bonds, the past, introversion and reflection of the individual are analyzed here.
• The Right Area speaks about people who have been able to detach from their mother, who generated the growth of a mature “EGO”. It refers to the affective relationships with the world, communication and the future.

Graphology Analysis with Pictures

Graphology: Handwriting Analysis examples

When analyzing a given text, we shall observe whether the handwriting is placed to the right (has a big left margin or small right margin) or to the left.

When placed to the right, it will reflect progress towards the future, towards others, a person with initiatives, and predominance of extroversion.

On the other hand, if the text is placed to the left (due to a big right margin) it will give us the idea of an individual holding on to the mother’s womb, to the family of origin, to the past and predominance of introversion.

When the text is placed in the center, in the middle area, it may be a sign of egocentrism and narcissism. This is confirmed with the individual’s signature (if placed in the center).

Areas with highly-superior text development (with a lot of text towards the upper areas) speak of individuals who are idealistic, spiritual, who are mentally active and imaginative. There, we can study the reflections and the dreams of the individual.

Areas with highly-lower text development speak of individuals who are sensual, practical, realistic, worried about the care of their own body and who look for satisfaction of immediate necessities.

Absolutely everything on a text is coated in the symbolism of space. From the relationship between written and empty spaces to the description of the letters each one individually. According to the symbolism of graphic space, behavior is reflected in writing.
Graphologists consider writing as a graphic record of the writer and not only as written language. In the movements of handwriting, individuals express their type of intelligence, sensitivity, tendencies, impulses, reactions, in short: they express their personality.

Graphology: Benefits

What is its utility nowadays?

What is graphology? Graphology is a tool to know ourselves and who surround us. Graphological analysis has several applications. The possibility to get to know people in depth through a method that is apparently so simple, such as the analysis of the characteristics of handwriting, gives graphology the opportunity of being used in many fields of knowledge.

In the field of psychology, graphology is a test of personality and a deep investigation of the human being. It contributes to patient diagnosis, to the identification of the typology and alterations of personality.
The analysis of modifications that writing suffers along a treatment, allows to know the evolution of a patient, given that graphical symbols change their aspect for the same individual, along with the evolution of their psychism.

In clinical medicine and psychiatry, graphological tests guide the medicine professional in the diagnosis of mental, psychomotor and somatic illnesses and in the records of evolution of treatments. Through graphopathology, physical issues may be detected even before they appear. Comparative analysis of a person, allows the diagnosis of breathing, circulatory and motility disorders prematurely.

Graphology Uses

What is graphology? In education, although teachers teach children to write according to a calligraphic model, it is observed that not all students write the same way. Each person writes with a type of handwriting of their own and directly connected to their personality. Graphology contributes to know students in their different areas of their personality, their temper, and their hidden psychological complexes, which allow to understand the reason for their academic performance and behavior.
It also helps verify progress and regression of each student through the systematic study of writing and to detect situations of risk.

Through graphotherapy, which is a graphical psychotherapy treatment and also an invaluable tool that educational psychologists count on, different aspects are treated which are related to children with difficulties in paying attention, dysgraphia, social behavior disorders such as shyness, isolation, aggressiveness and affective disorders, among others. It is possible to modify the negative traits through proper graphical exercises meant for correction.

These may be the solution to many small personality conflicts. This is also applied to vocational and professional orientation, gathering the skills of the students. The high cost and great negative impact of deficient hiring processes, promote the acquiring of graphological analysis to personnel-selection processes.

Personnel-selection agencies apply graphological tests in order to make the first selection of candidates that are more suitable for the required position and, subsequently, they write a full report of the ideal candidates. It is an economical and fast technique that brings great results.
The ads on job applications that require a handwritten presentation are the ones that will include a graphologist in the selection process.
Graphology also makes it possible to redistribute human resources correctly throughout the company’s organization chart through the study of personnel handwriting.

Graphology Meaning

There is also historical graphology, since any character that lived and left graphical prints may be brought back to life by the graphologist, providing a new dimension of the same.
In premarital orientation there are couple, partner, and public relation compatibilities.

Judicial graphology is used in criminology, as auxiliary of justice, in order to determine the personality of criminals, changes in the psyche that affect writing, in order to confirm the truthfulness of testimonies provided by suspects. The police and lawyers confirm signature, text, and will counterfeits, among others.

What does Graphology study?

It has been proven that some letters have more importance than others due to the way strokes are performed or the way in which they connect one to another, which confirms what has been analyzed in the text. Letters g, t, a, d, r,m and i are specially studied.

The Signatures is another important element in graphology. The signature is the most authentic expression of personality. But let us keep in mind that a signature in isolation may reveal very little information. The text and the signature must be analyzed together in order to arrive to reliable interpretations.

Read also: Handwriting Analysis Signature, How to make a good signature

Writing is a means of communication with the outside world. It is the means through which we introduce to each other; therefore, text is a kind of visit card that we use in social relations, which indicates our attitude and behavior towards others. From the psychological point of view, text symbolically represents the “social ego”, in other words, the way in which the individual shows himself in society, in his social and professional environments. The signature expresses the “intimate ego”, how the individual sees himself, his ambitions, complexes, his superiority or inferiority feelings, his dominant traits, and his character. Within the signature, we distinguish the name, as his real ego, the last name, as the family image and the signature itself, which is the scrawl that usually goes together with the signature that symbolizes the border where the intimate ego is placed.
Out of the comparison made between text and signature from the writer, relevant conclusions shall be obtained.

Like Matilde Ras says: “Writing is the enchanted mirror where the mysterious face of the soul is reflected.”
Graphology: Wonderful science that, in hand with psychology, takes us to the depths of our being.

Keep navigating this website to continue discovering what graphology is and its usage as a tool for self-awareness and personal development.

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