The Happenstance of Handwriting
In this article, Meredith Higa will inform readers of the intricacies of handwriting analysis.
The Happenstance of Handwriting
By Meredith Higa
Handwriting– most people use it every day. However, many are surprised to find out that looking at it is an actual job. It is even used as admissible evidence in court. Handwriting analysis, also known as graphology, focuses on learning about and identifying someone's traits through their writing. Like fingerprints, all writing differs. From big or small loops to pressure and the angle of the pencil, to study one’s handwriting is to study someone's story.
To analyze is a process. As Mark Songer, a forensic document examiner and former FBI Document Analyst explained, “No two individuals can produce exactly the same writing.” When investigating for crimes of forgery, the analyst takes a look at the document in question and compares it with multiple examples of the accused's past writing. After comparing them, the similarities like word spacing, size and pressure are sifted out and presented to court as evidence. For example, in the case of Robert Durst, murder victim Sarah Berman was given justice twenty-one years after her death when the suspect's handwriting was positively identified to match an anonymous letter sent to the police admitting to the crime.
Outside of murder and forgery, handwriting analysis can also be used to determine one's characteristics– specifically, one’s signature. There are five basic categories to follow when analyzing a signature, according to Vanessa Van Edwards, writer for Science of the People. These include angle, size, legibility, incompleteness and embellishments. A lot of it makes sense when given a bit of thought. For example, a larger signature correlates with more confidence and a tendency for narcissism while smaller signatures usually indicate introversion. A readable signature can signify straightforwardness while a vague collection of squiggly lines can convey a quick mind. The psychology of graphology is not exactly foolproof, but it is useful and an interesting skill to have in one’s back pocket.
Whether professionally analyzing a forged check or trying to figure out what someone's chicken scratch says about them, handwriting analysis is an underexplored topic that not too many people think about day to day. So the next time you sign your John Hancock, take a second to look it over. What does your handwriting say about you?
