This article tries to give the reader an overview of what graphology is, its origin, its interpretation and its applications. I take as a starting point the 6 most frequently asked questions that people often ask me.
Little by little is it possible to describe a person through writing ?!, Is it really useful? Is it not esoteric? These are the questions that I face most often when I say that I am a graphologist.
And yes, if it is possible to describe a person through writing, if it works and it is not something esoteric and very few people know that graphology is a branch of Experimental Psychology and as a science, it is based on laws of interpretation that must be met.
This article tries to give the reader an overview of what graphology is, its origin, its interpretation and its applications. I take as a starting point the 6 most frequently asked questions that people often ask me.
So I also consider that for those who have never heard of graphology or consider it as something esoteric, it will be useful to know that it is not and I also think that it is a good first contact with this science. On the other hand, for those who already know about it, having the bases and the answers to the most frequent questions is always useful.
So the questions are as follows:
1. What is it?
The word graphology is formed by the Greek roots: "grapho", writing and "logos", treatise, which tells us that etymologically it is the treatise on writing, or writing. Susana Tressouro de Grosso defines it as: "The science that has as its objective the knowledge of the personality by means of rigorous measurements and the analysis of the features of writing". And indeed, there are measurements, which makes it objective and not subjective as many people consider it.
The same author continues saying that: “The act of writing is the transmission of vibrations of nerve cells generated in the brain and that, with the participation of the nervous, circulatory and motor systems, comes out through the hand, the mouth or the foot".
This leads us to understand that writing is an act that occurs in the brain; that is, it is generated within the person, that is why psychology studies it and it comes out through writing, which makes it an observable behavior; field also corresponding to psychology.
2. Why does it work?
Because from what is mentioned in the previous paragraph, when we write we project our being, therefore the writer is making his own portrait, that's why it is said that if the mind hesitates, the hand hesitates. It is also for this reason, that we are not talking about something esoteric like divination and horoscope.
By definition it is said that guessing is "predicting the future, prophesying, saying what is to come", graphology in no way "will guess" what is going to happen to the person who writes, much less is it intended to tell what is about come; on the contrary, it will extract from the form of the writing its "portrait", that is, its personality.
On the other hand, according to the dictionary, the horoscope is a "vain and superstitious observation that some astrologers make at the birth of someone to predict the fate and events of their life"; Although I do not entirely agree with this definition, this is the dictionary definition, so in an effort to be objective, graphology is not only observation, much less superstitious and vain because, as already specified in previous paragraphs, it is based in laws and does not make predictions, and in no way will it pretend to predict the fate of the writer.
3. Since when does it exist?
Following is a chronology of the development that the study of writing has had throughout history:
The first records of the study of writing are from Aristotle, in the 4th century BC.
In 1575, Huarte San Juan makes an appointment about character and writing for the first time.
In 1622, Camilo Baldo, professor of philosophy at the University of Bologna publishes “Treatise on how the nature and quality of the writer is known in a letter; this is the first work already related to Graphology and not only to writing.
Between 1868 and 1872 that Juan Hipólito Michón, the Abbé Michón, known as the Father of Graphology, published the work: “The mysteries of writing”, and founded the Society of Graphology. It is he who gives the name to Graphology and who makes the first serious and systematic study of writing.
Subsequently, Jules Crepieux-Jamin deepens the studies of the Abbot Michón and creates the "laws of graphological interpretation", thus giving graphology the necessary scientific rigor in order for it to be considered a science.
It was not until 1902, when even when there were publications, they were only in magazines; The first book by a French author Michel de Champourcin, who lived in Spain, is published. It is based on the Crepeux-Jamin line and is titled: "What is Graphology?", Where it summarizes the characteristics of the character in alphabetical order.
Today, the countries where this science is most popular and practical are Spain and Argentina. In Spain, for example, at the Complutense University there are courses at the undergraduate level, even without recognition of the degree.
4. What is it for?
The use of Graphology is multiple, but there are two, which in my opinion are the main uses it is given:
The first, in companies, in the area of human resources where it is gaining popularity as a projective test used for the evaluation in personnel selection.
And secondly, in the field of clinical psychology, using it in what is known as graphotherapy, that is, a therapy based on graphology, where from the features of what is written, the attitudes and behaviors to be modified are detected.
5. What does it take to be a graphologist?
The first thing that comes to mind is to study and prepare, but undoubtedly, what gives experience is practice; as the saying goes: "Practice makes perfect."
6. What recommendations would you make to someone starting with Graphology?
That he exercise it with professionalism and not as a meeting game interpreting signatures on napkins or on "pieces of paper". Does a psychologist or doctor usually give a diagnosis of someone in a meeting? Of course not! Just doing so would take seriousness and the graphology is no different from this situation.
Thus, dear reader, I leave for your consideration the 6 questions that I am most frequently asked, and in an effort not only to answer those who ask me, this article will serve to establish that graphology is a serious thing, it is not something esoteric, nor subjective and that without a doubt, the writing is not only read, Speak!
