Premium
Inferring personal qualities through handwriting analysis
Author(s) -
KLIMOSKI RICHARD J.,
RAFAELI ANAT
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
journal of occupational psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.257
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 2044-8325
pISSN - 0305-8107
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8325.1983.tb00127.x
Subject(s) - handwriting , scripting language , psychology , reliability (semiconductor) , sample (material) , content analysis , applied psychology , computer science , artificial intelligence , social science , power (physics) , chemistry , physics , sociology , operating system , chromatography , quantum mechanics
Handwriting analysis has been of interest to many areas of psychology, as well as to the general public. While the popular interest in this topic has been growing over the years, scientific research is limited. This article is intended to familiarize the reader with the essential features and the present status of handwriting analysis. The procedure of analysing scripts is outlined, as are the different methods of integrating graphological inferences. Information on the ability to infer personal qualities through handwriting analysis is reviewed in light of the two basic psychometric questions: reliability and validity. Issues unique to the study of graphology are examined—namely, the effects of the content of a script sample, and the professional skill required to analyse script. The present state of knowledge on this topic can best be described by saying its use in applied settings is premature. Although the literature on this topic suffers from significant methodological negligence, the general trend of findings is to suggest that graphology is not a viable assessment method.