Graphology

1
Graphology

• Malia Bender
• Debunking Pseudoscience

2
What is graphology whose brilliant idea was it?

• The study of handwriting
• Goal - to determine characteristics of the writer
• 1800s - Jean-Hippolyte Michon The Society of
  Graphology

3
Graphologists claim

• Personality traits
• Success in career
• Compatibility
• Health issues
• Moral issues
• (Graphotherepeutics)

4
What theyre looking for

• Size
• Slant
• Width
• Zones
• Regularity
• Margin

• Pressure
• Stroke
• Lines
• Connection
• Form of connection
• Word and line spacing

5
Examples of traits

• Analytical thinking
• Blunt
• Broad-minded

• Concentration
• Cultural refinement
• Emotional Intesity

6

• Forgetfulness
• Humor

• Rebellious
• Vanity

7
How much does it cost?

• http//www.handwritingpro.com/profile.html --
  200 -- write about recent activity
• http//ocampa.com/analysis/ -- 55 -- write a
  full page on anything of interest

8
They have schools for this??

• The Society of Graphology
• The Gestalt School
• Books
• Self- accredited correspondence schools or
  unaccredited night school classes
• Make up your own system

9
What the graphologists say . . .

• Handwriting is brainwriting
• Writing is individualized, and personality is
  unique so each must reflect each other
• Writing is a form of expressive movement so it
  should reflect our personality
• The police and courts use graphology so it must
  be valid
• Hard-nosed personnel managers swear by
  graphologists usefulness in selecting employees
• It works

10
People believe this stuff?

• The Barnum Effect
• Positive Reinforcement

11
Its all pseudoscience

• Unfalsifiable hypotheses
• After-the-fact readings
• Numerous controlled scientific experiments
• Inconsistency between graphologists