Handwriting Comparisons of John & Patsy Ramsey with Ransom Note Author

Discussion in 'Justice for JonBenet Discussion - Public Forum' started by Cherokee, Sep 6, 2004.

  1. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    Using a sample of John Ramsey's printed handwriting available on the Internet, I have made seven visual comparison charts for analysis. In one set (of three), I have compared John's handwriting to that of the Ransom Note author (which, of course, is printed). In another set (of four), I have compared the words available in John's sample with the same words in the Ransom Note, and also with the exact same words printed by Patsy Ramsey from three different sources - (1) Patsy's right hand sample of the Ransom Note, (2) Patsy's "spontaneous" letter written at the request of investigators, and (3) Patsy's "London Letter."

    There are several avenues of exploration available to us in performing an analysis of the comparisons I have posted below. Lacking the originals, it is difficult to determine actual pen pressure, and since we are dealing with copies of copies, it is also difficult to ascertain true pastosity. However, we can still analyze slant, the use of space (between letters, between words, between lines and on the page), speed, rhythm, zones, loops, connecting strokes, and other defining traits such as unique individual letter formations.

    To begin, I would like to address the issue of "slant." It is an important component of handwriting analysis. The slant of a person’s handwriting reveals their emotional response to the outside world. A person whose handwriting slants towards the left will try to avoid emotional situations. A person whose handwriting slants right is more willing to communicate their emotions.

    An example of this would be someone who has lost their best friend to cancer. A person with left slanting handwriting might compartmentalize that loss, and repress it until they could possibly handle the grief at a later time. A person with right slanting handwriting would tend to feel the pain of the moment, and express their grief to others.

    It has been said by a person on this forum that my “graphology skills are not evident.†Therefore, it would be meaningless for me to extrapolate my own explanation of slant in handwriting analysis. After twenty-five years of doing handwriting analysis, I apparently know nothing on the subject. So, in order to satisfy those who would not listen to my own explanation regarding slant, I quote several graphology experts below.

    Certified graphologist, Sheila Lowe, says, “Writing slant tracks the moment-to-moment flow of feelings and responses. It demonstrates surface reactions but not the deeper emotional expression found in some other areas of handwriting, such as pressure …. Handwriting is a lot like body language …. The degree to which handwriting slants to the right or left reveals how much the writer want to be involved†with other people.

    Ms. Lowe goes on to say, “Slant also shows how spontaneous one’s emotional reactions are, and how receptive the writer is, both to internal and external events. It also reveals how well he controls his responses after filtering them through this rational mind. In other words, slant depends on how fast the writer responds and reacts. The steadiness of the slant reveals the writer’s emotional equilibrium.â€

    Andrea McNichol is a certified expert witness and graphology consultant for American and British law enforcement. In her book on handwriting analysis, Ms. McNichol says, “Slant reveals the degree to which you express your real emotional feelings to others.â€

    “Slanting to the right is to express your real emotional feelings, to be demonstrative, affectionate, passionate. It also means oriented toward the future …. Writing vertically is to suppress your real emotional feelings. It’s the slant associated with diplomacy in that you neither express nor repress your feelings. It also means oriented toward the present …. Slanting to the left is to repress your real emotional feelings, to think one thing but say another, to lean over backward to avoid emotional situations. It also means oriented toward the past …. The unstable slant is a slant constantly changing directions and means to lack control over the expression of your emotions, to be emotionally unstable.â€

    Graphology teachers, Karen Amend and Mary Ruiz, have this to say about the psychology of slant.

    “Whenever you write, you are expressing your present situation, so that all writing is an instantaneous graph of that exact moment. But writing is also a sequential movement that takes place through time. The beginning of a message is older than its end …. The left of the page, left of a word, the beginning stroke – these are all placements in the past. Alternately, the right of the page, the right of a word and the ending strokes are all directions to the future. It can be seen that this left/right movement through time takes place along the baseline in the horizontal dimension …. Horizontal movement is a measure of external orientation and social development. Here you can observe the manner in which the writer faces life situations, his abilities to communicate and express himself emotionally, his choices of behavior and his objective."

    Of course, a person may change the slant of their handwriting at any time. I, myself, usually write with no slant in a straight up-and-down fashion, but if I'm in a hurry, or feeling very "out-going" at the moment, I will sometimes write with a slightly forward slant.

    A person may also change the slant of their handwriting in times of stress. I know of one person who withdrew into themselves after a personal tragedy, and their handwriting also changed becoming slanted backwards, or away from people, as it were. However, slant is usually fairly consistent to each individual with a small degree of variance such as mentioned previously.

    In addition, a person under great emotional turmoil and stress at a given time will sometimes write with a varied slant, and even change the slant of the letters while writing them so it looks like the "back" of the letter is "breaking." It is indicative of the emotional pressure weighing down on the person. Their letters cannot even stand up straight. We find both the different slants, and especially the bent letters in the handwriting of the Ransom Note author.

    John Ramsey prints with a backwards slant which correlates with what we know of his personality.

    The Ransom Note author prints primarily in a straight-up-and-down fashion, or slant to the right, with a few left slants thrown in. The inner turmoil experienced by the Ransom Note author is revealed in the bent letters which speak of the enormous pressure under which they were written.

    Patsy Ramsey prints in either a straight-up-and-down fashion, or with a slant to the right. This also matches what we know of Patsy's personality. (Her cursive handwriting usually has a right slant.)

    The first .jpg is posted below. It compares the slant of John Ramsey's printed handwriting with that of the Ransom Note author's handwriting.
     

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    Last edited: Sep 6, 2004
  2. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    This .jpg is a comparison of slant between the printed handwriting of John Ramsey, the handwriting of Ransom Note author, and the printed handwriting of Patsy Ramsey from three sources.
     

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  3. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    Next, I would like to address two individual letter traits. The first is the lowercase letter 'n', and the second is the lowercase letter 'o'.

    This .jpg is a comparison of the individual lowercase letter 'n' between John Ramsey and the Ransom Note author.

    John Ramsey uses the lowercase 'n' to start words, but he uses the uppercase 'N' in the middle, and at the end, of words.

    The Ransom Note author uses only the lowercase 'n' at the beginning, middle and end of words.

    Patsy Ramsey uses only the lowercase 'n' at the beginning, middle and end of words.

    The .jpg following this one will illustrate that point.
     

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  4. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    This .jpg is a comparison between words containing the lowercase letter 'n' used by John Ramsey, the Ransom Note author, and Patsy Ramsey.
     

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  5. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    This .jpg is a comparison of the individual lowercase letter 'o' between John Ramsey and the Ransom Note author.

    John Ramsey uses an elliptical lowercase 'o' that starts at the top left of the letter and slants backwards. The 'o' looks as though it's being compressed.

    The Ransom Note author uses a rounded lowercase 'o' that starts at the middle top of the letter, with a slight flattening on the right underside of the oval.

    Patsy Ramsey also uses a rounded lowercase 'o' that starts at the middle top of the letter, with a slight flattening on the right underside of the oval.

    The .jpg following this one will illustrate that point.

    Ovals are communication letters. I will explain the graphological meaning of the compression in John's letter 'o', and the flattening on the underside of Patsy's letter 'o' in a later post.
     

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    Last edited: Sep 6, 2004
  6. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    This .jpg is a comparison between words containing the lowercase letter 'o' used by John Ramsey, the Ransom Note author, and Patsy Ramsey.
     

    Attached Files:

  7. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    Here is a .jpg showing a clear comparison of the handwriting of John Ramsey, the Ransom Note author and Patsy Ramsey without any extra markings.
     

    Attached Files:

  8. Watching You

    Watching You Superior Bee Admin

    Cherokee, this is an excellent comparison. I am a right slanter with many flourishes. Maybe that's why I recognize Patsy's writing in that letter, because she is also a right slanter with flourishes. Frankly, JR's writing, to me, looks anal-retentive. He is not expressive in his writing, his slant is more to the left and his letters tighter and smaller than Patsy's. While there may be some similarities between certain of JR's letters and letters of the ransom note, the overall look is different. Patsy's writing, OTOH, has the same look as the ransom note writing, to me, even without comparing letters. When one compares the letters, however, and realizes the writer was definitely trying to disguise her writing, it is very apparent, at least to me, that Patsy wrote that ransom note.

    I am a great disguiser of my handwriting - I can slant to the left easily, if I want to, but it takes a conscious effort to change certain characteristics of my writing otherwise. Certain things are ingrained in us - handwriting is one of those things.
     
  9. DocG

    DocG Banned

    Cherokee

    OK, good, that's more like it, Cherokee. These comparisons are useful and MUCH appreciated. MANY thanks for all your hard work!

    Now we need to think about what they might mean.

    Slant. Your slant comparisons are VERY interesting. For me, the most revealing aspect is the very clear demonstration of what I've been arguing recently, that Patsy's (alleged) copy of the ransom note is quite different from the other samples we have from her. This is made especially clear when we look at your slant comparisons. Her London letter and Spontaneous note are both very clearly right-slanted, while the ransom note copy is consistently un-slanted, with the great majority of letters rigidly vertical, as you so clearly demonstrate. And as I'm sure you'll agree, this particular sample gives a greater impression of rigidity generally than we see in Patsy's other samples. I continue to be puzzled by this "right hand sample" copy of the note, which is so different from Patsy's printing in so many other ways as well. Why would she deliberately change her style and her slant for that one particular sample?

    John's letters tend to be back-slanted as you say, no question. While the ransom note looks like a mix between right, back and vertical, though most of the letters do seem right-slanted. HOWEVER -- there is a huge difference between the comparison of different samples from the same person writing under ordinary circumstances and a comparison involving deliberate deception. Back-slant is a very distinctive and obvious trait. If John in fact did write the ransom note, it's something he'd have been very aware of and would definitely have wanted to alter. So the differences in slant between his printing and that of the note must be taken with a huge grain of salt.

    I need to take a break now but will be returning to this thread later. VERY interesting stuff.
     
  10. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    Thanks, WY ... and you are right. John's handwriting is not as expressive as Patsy's ... he is very guarded with his emotions, and pulls back from truly connecting with people.

    I believe this is one reason he had trouble on the campaign trail igniting voters. We've heard he was not a good speaker, and seemed wooden and passive. Other the other hand, Patsy is a natural communicator, and she enjoyed the contact with other people ... even remarking to Aurora how much "fun" she was having.

    Absolutely. Any of us might have certain letters in common with the Ransom Note author, but as you say, the overall effect is different. This illustrates the main tenet of handwriting analysis ... you must take the whole of the writing for analysis, and not focus, or become bogged down, on single traits.

    Yes, slant can be faked ... for awhile. :) The longer a piece of writing, the more true slant becomes apparent unless the writer is being very vigilent. That's why any sample of handwriting should be analyzed from the bottom of the page, or end of the missive ... not the top or beginning.

    At the beginning of a piece of writing, the author is more conscious of their letter formations, but as they write, they "loosen up" and their natural impulses become freer. This is also evident in the Ransom Note. I hesitated to use the first page of the Ransom Note for comparison as I felt the last page, or body of the note, was more indicative the author's true writing. But I decided to use the first page to show it WAS the Ransom Note, and give everyone a point of reference.

    Handwriting is a revelation of personality ... the way we form letters, use the space on the page, approach the baseline, etc. It all is a subconscious reflection of ourselves. There can be attempts to modify, change, or disguise our handwriting, but our true nature will always come through eventually.
     
  11. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    I also wanted to say a few more words regarding the individual 'n' and 'o' letter formations as compared in the .jpgs above.

    In John's printed handwriting, he uses the lowercase 'n' for the beginnings of words such as "not" and "notified." In all other words using a lowercase 'n', John substitutes a small uppercase 'N' in the middle, and at the ends, of words. Examples from his handwriting are:

    beeN
    iNstaller
    discrepaNcy
    oN
    occasioNs
    accouNt
    wheN

    This is one of his identifying traits, and the substitution is subconsious and natural to John.

    The Ransom Note author does not make this substitution ONCE ... not even at the end of the word "John."

    Patsy Ramsey also does not make that substitution, but uses the lowercase 'n' throughout all her words ... beginning, middle and end.

    -----

    Another identifying trait in John's handwriting is his "compressed" lowercase 'o's. Ovals are communication letters, and it is obvious John has trouble with communication. His oval is mashed down as if being pushed from a force above. There is enormous pressure on John to keep his mouth shut. He may have learned this from his family of origin. It is possible he may not have been allowed to "talk back" and or openly communicate his true feelings, so he learned to suppress what he really wanted to say.

    In addition, John's lowercase 'o' starts to the left top of the letter, and achieves the backwards slant common to the rest of his writing.

    The Ransom Note author does not have a compressed 'o'. On the contrary, most of the RN 'o's are full, and usually rounded, except for the occasional slight flattening on the bottom right side.

    Patsy Ramsey also writes with rounded 'o's that sometimes are slightly flattened on the bottom right side.

    This is a subconscious "flattening" is not something a person would think of to change or modify in an effort to disguise their handwriting.

    -----

    If John Ramsey was trying to disguise his handwriting ... he might think of changing the slant ... but could he be aware of ALL his individual identifying traits, and then think to change each one of them? Every time? Under pressure from the death of his child, and running out of time?

    I don't think so.

    LE had numerous samples of John's handwriting to compare with the Ransom Note. I think it's obvious why John was eliminated as the RN author ... and it is also obvious why Patsy could not be.



    IMO
     
  12. DocG

    DocG Banned

    Cherokee

    Cherokee:"Yes, slant can be faked ... for awhile. :) The longer a piece of writing, the more true slant becomes apparent unless the writer is being very vigilent. That's why any sample of handwriting should be analyzed from the bottom of the page, or end of the missive ... not the top or beginning."

    To compensate for back slant one merely needs to alter the position of the paper with respect to the hand. No need for vigilance.
    In any case, I can see a great many back slanted letters in the last page as well as the first. I think the writer was deliberately trying to mix things up, so we find all three types of slant throughout.

    "If John Ramsey was trying to disguise his handwriting ... he might think of changing the slant ... but could he be aware of ALL his individual identifying traits, and then think to change each one of them? Every time? Under pressure from the death of his child, and running out of time?"

    I'm not sure what you mean. There are many similarities between his printing and the note, not just the use of back slant. Most of these can't be seen very clearly in your comparisons because, for some reason, the exemplars from John are quite small. Here's a three way comparison I've done, with Patsy on the left, the note in the center and John on the right. Notice the strong similarity between John's "account" and the same word in the note. Note that the last three letters in "Ramsey" are almost identical on the top row samples from the note and from John. Note how many letters from the note and John both have vertical "slant," neither right nor back. Note how light Patsy's touch is compared to that of the note, which strongly resembles John's. Many letters in the note are "crushed" as are many in the sample from John. While you did point out a crushed "o" from Patsy, that's much less common in her samples than the one we have from John, where all sorts of crushed letters occur, even in such a short document.
     

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  13. DocG

    DocG Banned

    those "n"s

    Cherokee, you make a very interesting point when you discuss John's "n"s by comparison with those in the note. He does seem to have the habit of using something that resembles a capital "N" in the middle of a word, you spotted a few of these in a very brief document. Good for you, that's an excellent observation. The note writer doesn't do that, true.

    My response. 1. John's writing is very sloppy (as is that of the note) and none of the capital "N"s you've pointed out are easy to evaluate. They could be capitals, they could just be "crushed" or carelessly formed. The note contains several such all but illegible letters. 2. It looks to me, and I first made this observation years ago, that the note writer might have modeled his printing on a computer font as part of an effort to disguise his hand. Shortly after making this observation on one of the forums, I noticed an article in one of the Tabs which quoted one of the investigators as saying essentially the same thing. The font I thought I saw was "Courier New" but they named another which is in fact even closer to the look of the note. (Forget what that was.) That would be an extremely clever thing to do and might well be what caused the "experts" to rule him out. If he did use a font as model, that would explain the absence of capital N's in the middle of words. Which takes nothing away from your very astute observation. But does demonstrate how difficult it is to apply the usual rules of handwriting analysis when deliberate deception is involved.
     
  14. DocG

    DocG Banned

    Graphology

    Cherokee quotes two "certified graphologists":
    "Certified graphologist, Sheila Lowe, says, “Writing slant tracks the moment-to-moment flow of feelings and responses. It demonstrates surface reactions but not the deeper emotional expression found in some other areas of handwriting, such as pressure …. Handwriting is a lot like body language …. The degree to which handwriting slants to the right or left reveals how much the writer want to be involved†with other people.

    Ms. Lowe goes on to say, “Slant also shows how spontaneous one’s emotional reactions are, and how receptive the writer is, both to internal and external events. It also reveals how well he controls his responses after filtering them through this rational mind. In other words, slant depends on how fast the writer responds and reacts. The steadiness of the slant reveals the writer’s emotional equilibrium.â€

    Andrea McNichol is a certified expert witness and graphology consultant for American and British law enforcement. In her book on handwriting analysis, Ms. McNichol says, “Slant reveals the degree to which you express your real emotional feelings to others.†"

    I'm curious as to the basis for this sort of conclusion, because as I understand it graphology has the reputation in some quarters as being just a step above tea leaf reading. Is there a scientific basis for graphology? Can you cite actual controlled, replicable experiments, performed double-blind, that confirm such statements? That shouldn't be very hard to do. You just take a random sampling from among people whose writing slants to the left, do some psychological tests and see if there's a correlation. And, since NO correlation is ever perfect, you need to present some statistics, some figures that tell us what percentage of back slanters have these psychological traits. You then need to find another investigator that can replicate your findings. Has this been done in your field? Can you cite a source?
     
  15. JustinCase

    JustinCase Member

    I tried to post this earlier but I guess I made so many changes that I eventually ended up deleting it all together, this is really weird:

    (This is the text version of Johns handwriting 'sample')
    JohN B RAmsey----Defendant: JohN B RAmsey
    The pRojecT hAs not beeN completed satisfactorily. The iNstaller was notifieb of the discrepaNcy oN two separate occAsioNs. I will be pleased to settle thD account wheN the ProjecT is completed.
     
  16. DocG

    DocG Banned

    What about the "F"?

    Good work JustinCase. But both you and Cherokee neglected the capital "F" John uses in the word "of" (as in "The installer was notified oF the discrepancey"). This could be significant because the note writer also uses capital "F" in various places where small "f" would be expected, including "of".

    One problem, of course, is the brevity of this one sample we have from John, which makes it very difficult to generalize about his usual writing habits. I'm really amazed that after such a long time this is ALL we have to work with from him.
     
  17. Cherokee

    Cherokee FFJ Senior Member

    JC, I don't think John actually wrote an uppercase 'D' for the word "this." It threw me for a minute, too, when I was doing the comparisons as it does look like "thD". But I believe when he wrote "this", the top part of his 's' didn't hit the page. (It's called an airstroke.) The bottom half of the 's' starting at the curve connected with John's lowercase 'i' to make it look like a 'D'. The 'i' dot is very close to the stem of the 'i', and is made with a bit of a dash, so it contributes to the illusion of being the top part of an uppercase 'D'.
     
  18. Watching You

    Watching You Superior Bee Admin

    There has been research done in this area:

    http://www.handwriting.org/main/hwawhat.htm


    What is Handwriting Analysis

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    What Handwriting Analysis Is

    It is a projective technique like body language which can profile human behavior in the areas of social skills, thinking styles, achievement/work habits, and possible ways of dealing with stress.


    It is a system of studying the frozen graphic structures which have been generated in the brain and placed on paper in a printed and/or cursive style.


    It is a way to compare different personalities and their potential for compatibility in the areas of problem-solving, interpersonal skills, how they would fit into a team situation, and how they will react under pressure.


    It is a method to view the emotional development of an individual relative to maturity and consistent actions.



    What Handwriting Analysis Is NOT
    It is not fortune telling or associated with the occult.


    It is not predicting the future other than describing possible future behavior and/or actions.


    It is not a panacea for solving all the problems involved in high turnover found in the work place.


    It is not to be utilized for invading the privacy of a person. In job related profiles, the only traits addressed have to do with the requirements of the position.


    by Carol Kizorek-Eastwick



    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    A Historical Perspective on Graphological References and Validation Studies
    That handwriting is brainwriting is undebatable -- that handwriting has a physiological/ psychological link in the brain established decades ago by extensive European research is understood by surprisingly few outside the handwriting community in this country. Yet, this concept underscores why handwritings movement patterns across the page can be analyzed.


    Just five people, Dr. Rudolph Pophal (Germany, neurologist/graphologist), Klara Roman (Hungary, psychologist/graphologist), Robert Saudek, (England, psychologist/graphologist), Dr. Werner Wolff (Germany/America, psychologist), and Dr.Alexander Luria (Russia/physiologist), collectively contributed some 130 years of individual research. Nearly lost in the midst of time, this research established handwritings physiological/psychological link in the brain over 50 years ago. This foundation is also the basis for the use of handwriting as a remediation educational technique to train the brain to gain impulse control.


    How can such an incredible anomaly exist? A look back in time to the early part of this century reveals conditions that fostered it. During the general time frame when such extensive research was underway in Europe, America was caught in the deep clutches of Behaviorism. Founded by John Watson in the 1920s, Behaviorism controlled most psychology research in this country for nearly five decades. Founded on the tenet that consciousness was such a troublesome concept to ascertain and terming the brain the little black box, he refused to deal with aspects of consciousness in research. It was simply ignored for decades. Consequently, this left a large research void, a black hole, in this country in that little European research has been replicated here. Thus many millions of professionals are oblivious to handwritings deeper implications.


    Below are just a few of the seminal research projects that established handwriting is brainwriting, with descriptions as provided by Marc Seifer, Ph.D.



    (1982) Crepieux- Jamin, J. Hysteria and Handwriting. Handwritng and Expression, London: Kegan, Trench and Trubner. The Examination of forty-five handwritings of hysterical persons revealed... in 24 instances... marked agitation and the abnormally large movements of the pen. (p211)
    (1895) Preyer, W. On the Physiology of Handwritng. Hamburg. Preyer established that similar styles can e achieved when the pen was held by either right or left hand, foot or mouth, thereby establishing that handwriting was centrally organized by the brain and not the appendage.
    (1901) Meyer, G. Die Wissenschaftlichen Grundalgen der Grapholgie, Berlin. A sysstematic study of factors of handwriting correlating with specific characterological features of identity was conducted, e.g., artificality, sponteneity, slant, size, simplifiction, elaboration, proopensity toward roundedness, angularity. etc.
    (1919) Downey, J. Graphology and the Psychology of Handwriting, Baltimore: Warwick and York, Inc. Bipolar expressive characteristics such as fluent or jerky, impulsive or deliberate were examined in twelveindividuals in their handwriting, carriage, and expressive gestures, using 11 judes. Above chance correelations were achieved.
    (1926) Saukek, R. Experiments With Handwriting. London: George Allen & Unwin. This 395 test text is devoted to the ascertaining of objective criteria in handwriting. e.g., determining the relative speed of handwriting, developmental changes in the execution of the writing trail from childhood to adulthood, the role of the central nervous system, etc. Footnotes and detailed bibliography included.
    (1933) Allport, G., & Vernon,P. Studies in Expressive Movement. New York. NY: Macmillian. This trestise contains nujmerous controlled experiements which discovered a congruence between expressive movements (e.g., handwriting, gestures, gait) ... and attitudes, traits and values (pp.247-248).
    (1936) Roman, K. Studies on the variability of handwriting: The development of writing speed and point pressure in school children. Journal of Genetic Psychology, xliv, 139-160.
    (1939) Jacoby, H. Uniqueness and handwriting. Analysis of Handwriting. London: George Allen & Unwin. Two hundred samples were studies for one the letter i. After careful analysis, no two strokes were found to be identical. The full 200 simples are provided.
    (1944) Lewinson, T.S., and Zubin, J. Handwriting Analysis: A series of scales for evaluating the dynamic apsects of handwriting. New York. Using objective criteria, the authors were successfully able to differentiate between the handwriting of delinquents and non-deliquents.
    (1948) Wolff. W. Diagrams of the Unconscious. This masterwork explores a full range of experiemental studies. The expressive movement in writing (especially the signature), is made chiefly in a state of unawareness, automatically and impulsively... These unconscious movement represent a reign of order, proportion and configuration, appearing in the same exact way as if they had been consciusly calculated, measured and constructed...(p.151) (They) originate neither in change nor in conscious intention, but (rather)... they reflect unconscious principles of organiation (p.177.) Included is a bibliography of 474 graphological studies.
    by Jeanette Farmer, C.G.




    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Some Definitions

    Categories:
    Holistic Graphology:


    This approach starts by registering an intuitive reaction to the script, based on an overall appearance of the script. It then deduces an individual's type, and uses that for the resulting graphological report.

    The Psychogram is probably the best known system of handwriting analysis, that falls within the approach of Holistic Graphology.

    Integrative Graphology:


    This approach starts by registering what the characterstics of the script are, and building a graphological profile from that.

    Graphoanalysis is the best known system of handwriting analysis that falls within the approach of Integrative Graphology.

    Symbolic Analysis:


    This approach looks at specific elements within a script, and assigns to them various meanings, depending upon whether the macro-script is being looked at, or the micro-script.

    Max Pulver's _Symbolik Der Handschrift_ is probably the best known work, that falls under this approach. This approach does provide the theoretical basis, for the other two approac

    Categories and GraphoAnalysis definition (below) supplied by "Jonathon Blake; The Graphology-L FAQ"


    Definitions:
    GraphoAnalysisTM (gra.fo.a.nal'a.sis)


    The system of handwriting analysis as taught by the International Graphoanalysis Society (IGAS).

    Library of Congress classification index heading:


    PSYCHOLOGY

    Graphology (gra.fol.le.ji)


    The study of handwriting and its revaluation of personality facets and character traits through slant, pressure, etc. The manifestation through writing of patterns of thought, emotional discipline, energy and enthusiasm, curiosity, independence, imagination, manual dexterity, hidden aptitudes and natural abilities.

    Black's Law Dictionary Revised Fourth Edition Page 846

    Handwriting

    The chirography of a person; the cast or form of writing peculiar to a person, including the size, shape, and style of letters, tricks of penmanship, and whatever gives individuality to his writing, distinguishing it from that of other persons. In Re Hyland's Will, 1 Gib 41,58 St.R. 798, 27 N.Y.S. 961, 963.
     
  19. Watching You

    Watching You Superior Bee Admin

    More studies:

    http://www.huvista.com/graphology/scientific.html


    A Partial Listing of Scientific Studies Concerning Handwriting Analysis Since 1970

    Handwriting Analysis (Graphology) the scientific study of handwriting, especially as a guide to the writer’s character. The basis for handwriting analysis is that we project our personality into our writing in much the same way we show our feelings by expressions, gestures or body movements. Gordon W. Alport, the famous Harvard psychologist said that handwriting is “crystallized gesture.†Impulses from our brain dictate the stroke formation. It has been called “brainwriting.â€


    Ben-Shakhar, May Bar-Hillel, Yoram Bilu, Edor Ben-Abba and Anat Flug. Can graphology predict occupational success? Reports on two empirical studies for testing the validity of graphological predictions; Journal of Applied Psychology, p. 645, Nov. 1986.


    Beumont, P. - Small handwriting in some patients with anorexia nervosa; British Journal of Psychiatry, 119, 349-350, 1971.


    Broern, W. - Graphology and its importance in current medical psychology; Medizinische Klinik, Hamburg, 66, 6, 1971.


    Dekay, ML - The effects of drawing method on the discriminability of characters; Visible Language, V0025 Nf: Fall, pp376-414, 1991.


    Ericsson, I. - Graphic skills as a diagnostic tool for working with elderly; Visible Language, 24, 2, 214-226, 1990.


    (Author unknown) Economist; CIA agents in the (former) USSR are asked to send any New Year’s cards they receive to the US so that graphologists can check whether their acquaintances are suspicious. v315n7659, p.97-98, June 16, 1990.


    Hatfield, Iris, E. Edward Peeples, PhD, and Robert O’Block, PhD - Examining horizontal lengths of signatures in true vs false statements; Human Graphics Center, 1994.


    Hearns, R. - The use of graphology in criminology; Criminal Psychopathology, 3, 461-464, 1972.


    Hermann, Ned and Jeanette Farmer - The Theory of Contraction and Release in Handwriting as Related to Brain Dominance; 1990.


    Ianetta, Kimon and Reed Hayes, James F. Craine, PhD & Dennis G. McLaughlin, PhD - Facilitating Assessment of Dangerousness by Using Characteristics of Handwriting; Hawaii, 1992.


    Keinan, G. - Can stress be measured by handwriting analysis? The effectiveness of the analytic method; discusses theoretical implications and possible advantages of using handwriting parameters as an indication of acute stress. Applied Psychology--An International Review--Psychologies Appliquee-Revue International: V0042N2:APR 1993:pp. 153-170.


    Kopp, W., G. Paulson, J. Allen, D. Smeltzer, F. Brown & W. Kose - Parkinson’s disease: L-dopa treatment and handwriting areas; Current Therapeutic Research, 12, 3, 115-124, 1970.


    Kraus, Ron (various graphologists) - Reliability and Validity of Handwriting Analysis compared to the standard battery of psychological tests and the ratings of therapists using the California Q-sort -a Doctoral Thesis, 1993.


    Levy, J. - Handwriting posture and cerebral organization: how are they related?; Psychological Bulletin, 91, 3, 589-608, 1982.


    Lewinson, T.S. - Contributions to the history of psychology, Naftali Aries Remembered 1911-1990; memories of an esteemed colleague and friend, who contributed extensively to the understanding of analysis of handwriting. Perceptual and Motor Skills, V0074N3, pp 1181-1182, June 1992.


    Lomonaco, Theresa, Ross Harrison, and Felix Klein - Hunter College, City University of New York; Accuracy of matching TAT and graphological personality profiles, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 36, 703-706, 1973.


    Luria, A. - Analysis of the writings and drawings of patients with severe brain damage; Higher Cortical Functions in Man, Basic Books, 1980.


    Lynch, Brian - Graphology: Towards a Hand-Picked Work Force; Personnel Management, Mar. 1985, v17n3, P. 14-18.


    Mack, L. - Hemispheric Specialization for Handwriting in Right-Handers; Brain and Cognition; V0021 N1, pp80-85, Jan. 1993.


    Maeland, A.F. - Handwriting and Perceptual Motor Skills in clumsy, dysgraphic, and normal children; Perceptual and Motor Skills: V0075 N3, pp 1207-1217, Dec. 1992.


    Montano, Nicholas J. - Neuropsychology of language dysfunctions correlating to features of written language; Alzheimer Disease; neurological; Masters’ Thesis.


    Mullins, J. - A handwriting model of children with learning disabilities; Journal of Learning Disabilities, 5, 306-311, 1972.


    Nevo, Baruch - National Institute of Testing & Evaluation, University of Haifa - Graphology Validation Studies in Israel: Summary of 15 years of Activity; International Association for Applied Psychology, Jerusalem, July, 1986.


    Nevo, Baruch - Yes, graphology can predict occupational success: Rejoinder to Ben Shakhar, Et Al; Perceptual and Motor Skills, 66, 92-94, 1988.


    Pearl, R. - The value of handwriting in neurological examination; The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 41, 1, 200-204, 1974.


    Peeples, E. Edward, PhD, University of Northern Colorado - Measurement of Handwriting Factors; Perceptual and Motor Skills, 68; 142, 1989.


    Peeples, E. Edward, PhD, University of Northern Colorado - Copied versus free writing, 1993.


    Peeples, E. Edward, PhD, University of Northern Colorado - Genetics and handwriting, a study of the handwritings of family members, 1988.


    Pritchard, Anita - Reliability of graphological judgments based on different techniques of handwriting analysis; Szondi Test as a diagnostic tool in a clinical setting; Doctoral Dissertation (date unknown).


    Sasson, R. - Childrens Handwriting As An Indicator of Stress; International Journal of Psychology; V0027 N3-4, p 440, Jun-Aug 1992.


    Schwarz, Daniel (graduate student) College of Criminal Justice, New York - A validity study of graphology: Its usefulness in assessing integrity in identifying people prone to committing theft; Master’s Thesis, 1992.


    Smith, Willa, Ed.D - Relationship between handwriting and creativity in 5th grade children; Doctoral Dissertation, 1984.


    Stelmach, G. (Ed.) - Arizona State University; Motor control of handwriting, 1991.


    Steward, R.A.C. - Effects of self-esteem and status on size of signature; Perceptual and Motor Skills, Vol. 44, 1977.


    Swanson, B. & R. Price - Signature size and status; Journal of Social Psychology, 19, 63-67, 1972.


    TenHouten, W., M. Seifer, P. Siegal - Aloxithymia and the split brain: Evidence from graphological signs. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 331-338, 1988.


    Vellutino, F. -Dyslexia; Scientific American, 34-41, March 1987.


    Wellingham-Jones, Patricia, PhD, RN - Characteristics of handwriting subjects with multiple sclerosis; Perceptual and Motor Skills, 73, 867-879, 1991.


    Wellingham-Jones, Patricia, PhD, RN - Mouth writing by a quadriplegic; Perceptual and Motor Skills, 72, 1324-1326, 1991.


    Yank, Jane Redfield, MSSW - Handwriting variations in individuals with multiple personality disorder; Dissociation, vol. IV, No. 1, March 1991.


    Zaklan, Marilyn - Graphology in the field of mental health: A diagnostic tool; Master’s Thesis.


    Zwigenhaft, R.L. - Signature size: A key to status awareness; Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 81, 1970.

    Further Suggested Reading:


    Miller, James H. - Bibliography of Handwriting Analysis
     
  20. DocG

    DocG Banned

    Impressed

    OK, WY, what a great job of collecting references. You gave me what I aseked for. Thanks. I'm impressed. But still not convinced. I worked with a guy who did lots of research in the area of body language, on which there is also an impressive body of literature, and we often discussed it. And I've done years of research involving the correlation of certain types of music to certain aspects of culture. So I do have some experience with research in the social sciences. And what you hear always from the real scientists is lots of interesting and even exciting hypotheses and lots and lots of caution when it comes to drawing conclusions. But what I see when I read what so many graphologists have to say is NOT caution but conviction, NOT statistics but certainties. I'm sure much research exists in this field that meets the hightest scientific standards. But when this research is applied to real life situations that's when things get really sticky. It could be that under certain conditions, given a certain type of social background and a certain type of training as a child, a certain slant or degree of pressure might signify a certain psychological tendency. But when one claims that such and such a slant and such and such a degree of pressure MEAN that someone has certain psychological characteristics and that one KNOWS this as a result of ones training in graphology, sorry, that's a lot of hooey, that's NOT the kind of claims real scientists make about ANYTHING.
     
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