High school is a time where students focus on developing self identity and personality. They take personality tests, shake magic 8 balls, and look up horoscopes to find their standings in society and to discover their true selves. One of the lesser known methods students use to find themselves is through comparing their own handwriting to that of others.

Handwriting analysis, known as graphology in the scientific community, can be used to evaluate personality traits based upon letter forms and strokes. According to The British Academy of Graphology, graphology is the analysis of the psychological structure of the human subject through his or her handwriting. Although it is not as popular in the United States, other countries teach graphology as a university subject. Handwriting has been analyzed for over a thousand years, but today, many employers hire graphology experts to decipher handwriting from hand-written resumes.

Dr. Erika M. Karohs is an Industrial Psychologist and Graphologist who works for international companies to analyze handwriting. Karohs claims that legibility, something most AP teachers emphasize, is an important part in handwriting characterization.

“Overall, legibility is one of the most positive things in handwriting,” Karohs said. “Graphologically, it denotes the desire to communicate understandably, it contributes to honesty, it connotes openness and consideration for other people (the reader).”

Signatures are also important indicators of personality in graphology.

“Most people think they are impressing others with an extravagant, ostentatious signature when in reality, they shout to the world, ‘I feel like a nobody and have to put up a false front of confidence.’” Karohs said.

According to Karohs, mood may alter handwriting, but it does not necessarily contribute to personality indicators.

“Mood does not attribute to handwriting, but it can change the appearance of handwriting,” Karohs said. “A buoyant, excited mood causes handwriting to be larger and sometimes more right slanted whereas a depressed state of mind causes handwriting to be narrower and sometimes smaller. Mood can also change the line direction (positive = uphill; negative = downhill).”

Mood especially shows in student handwriting. According to junior Amber Zuschlag, her handwriting indicates her level of concentration and focus put into handwritten papers.

“I put effort into my handwriting when I’m putting effort into my work,” Zuschlag said.

Despite experts’ extensive studies and elaborate interpretations of handwriting, the analysis is still regarded as a pseudoscience in the eyes of many scientists and skeptics. Students are also hesitant to completely buy into graphology.

“Handwriting can reveal personality traits to some degree, but I don’t think that if a person has terrible handwriting they automatically have a terrible personality,” Zuschlag said.

However, expert graphologists refute skepticism because of its merit in Europe Universities.

“This is only true in America where graphology was introduced mostly as a carnival tool,” Karohs said. “In Europe, where graphology is taught as a renowned university subject, it has long been accepted as a valid personality evaluation tool. If you Google for “Graphologie” (the German spelling), you will find listings for thousands and thousands of research articles on all kinds of graphology related subjects.”

Valid or not, graphology is an interesting way for students to discover more about themselves and their peers.

For more information about graphology, visit http://www.graphology.co.uk/

For more information about Dr. Karohs, visit http://www.karohs.com/