Careful, Your Script Is Showing

by Taryn

A few months into my freshman year of college, I heard about a handwriting analysis seminar that was being given on campus. I'd also heard that if you brought samples, a brief compatibility study could be done for you. Sounded interesting, so off I went, shoving a letter from my most recent love interest into my notebook. After the lecture, I noticed that no one even approached the speaker to ask questions, but figuring it couldn't hurt, I went up and had her check out the samples I'd brought. Within minutes, just by comparing my handwriting with his, this perfect stranger was telling me things about the two of us we wouldn't even have wanted our mothers to know. We're talking everything from how secretive we were to which one of us was more "experienced." I was stunned. She also said that my writing showed that I was extremely sensitive, and his showed that he could be quite blunt, so if he wasn't careful he'd end up hurting me. Now, he and I were together for over a year and a half following this incident, and I have to say she was right on.

To get more of a flavor for what handwriting analysis (also known as graphology) is all about, craftygal tracked down Ann Miraglia, Master Certified Graphoanalyst, and inquired about her work in the field.

CG: How did you first get interested in handwriting analysis?

AM: I was invited to teach a course entitled "Protest and Public Opinion" at the state college. Having grown up in the '60s, I knew a lot about protest, but very little about how social order was maintained by the police and military. So I did an 8-hour ride along with every police agency I could (everyone except the State Police, who don't allow ride-alongs) and was able to see how people who don't "follow the social rules" are treated. Afterward, I wrote letters to all the commanding officers that assisted me; the letters were typed by my secretary on college stationery. The only thing I’d written was my signature. Shortly after that, I saw one of the officers. He said, "I know all about you" and proceeded to do quite an accurate personality profile. I was astonished and commented that they must have fantastic training to be able to deduce so much in the short 15 minutes I was in his company. He said, "Oh, no. I had your handwriting analyzed." Needless to say, I was incensed that my privacy could be so easily invaded without cause and demanded to know who would do such an unethical thing. Having the analyst's name, I looked him up and read him the riot act. He laughed and proceeded to do an evaluation from the signature on my driver's license. I recognized the truth of his statements and decided to look into handwriting analysis myself.

CG: How did your family and friends respond to your pursuing this field?

AM: Most people who know me know that I enjoy learning new things and that I will exhaust a subject that interests me. A few voiced concerns that ranged from handwriting analysis being bogus psychological mumbo-jumbo to it being an occult art authored by the devil himself. Most were fascinated and surprised at the accuracy of my analyses--and somewhat discomfited when I could identify fears they thought were well hidden.

CG: Tell us a bit about the certification process and the organization through which you achieved it.

AM: I did the training offered by the International Graphoanalysis Society, which consisted of an 18 month course with 20 units of study. A test is given after each unit and all the tests must be passed. After that, one is certified--considered by the organization to be trained in their methodologies and constructs. I was awarded a full scholarship to the graduate course, which I also completed in about 18 months. I also completed a three-year Resident Institute that is attendance at courses offered during the annual Congress. Since then I have done post-graduate work and participated in a research project. IGAS is the oldest handwriting analysis school in the US, having been founded by Milton Bunker in 1929. The term, Graphoanalyst is a trademarked name and may be used only by those who are trained by and members in good standing of IGAS. Since I took the course many changes have been made: it is now possible to take the course via the Internet and I think the cost has even come down.

CG: Tell us a bit about the challenges of starting to use your skill professionally.

AM: There are very few who do handwriting analysis as a full time job with no other income. Basically one has to market their product and that means going out and doing presentations, networking, and often trying to convince others that your product will help them do what they do better. Handwriting analysis has more respect in Europe than in the US, probably because that's where its roots are and where most of the early research was accomplished. Many people think handwriting analysis is akin to astrology or palmistry and don't know the respectable science and scientists behind it. Often I have had to educate people and try to overcome some of the negative attitudes they held before we could even consider the "business" end of it.

CG: What types of functions do you and your associates perform?

AM: Handwriting analysis has many applications. First, is self-knowledge. Many people are interested in "what makes me tick" and have an analysis done to better understand themselves. If you've ever read anything about the Johari Window, you know we all have blind areas where we don't really know ourselves (or acknowledge aspects of our personality) and handwriting analysis can bring us information that we might not ever learn any other way. Second, handwriting analysis is used for compatibility studies. Couples contemplating marriage will want to know where they are similar, but more importantly, where they might have friction. The old adage, "It's better to look ahead and prepare than look back and regret," is fulfilled when you know how your mate is "wired" and that he isn't just trying to aggravate you. Employment teams will also work more cooperatively and productively when members are chosen for specific characteristics. Third, handwriting can identify aptitudes. In this age of uncertainty in employment, handwriting analysis can assist in job placement both for the employee and employer.

CG: What do you need to conduct an analysis, and what's the pricing structure?

AM: To do an analysis, I ask for several pages of writing done over a period of a few days. It is on unlined paper written with a pen, not pencil, and not copied from a text, but freely written. This way I get a full picture of the emotional range of the individual. Pricing varies from analyst to analyst, depending on their training and experience. I charge $125 for a complete analysis that is several typewritten pages long and covers their emotional, intellectual, social, and ethical aptitudes. Something less expensive is also available and fees are usually worked out depending on what is wanted.

CG: Who are the leading people in this field?

AM: There are a number of very talented people in the field: Dr. Erika Karohs has done a lot of work in the field and I believe has done some industrial consulting. Kimon Iannetta has written a book, "Danger Between the Lines," that is a reference manual for profiling violent behavior. Alice Weiser has assisted judges determining a prisoner's readiness for release. Dr. Jeanette Farmer has developed a program that appears to reduce ADD in children (it involves writing exercises--the old Palmer slant lines and circles) to specific music. There are so many that have benefited society is many ways; it is difficult to list them all.

CG: How does graphology software work, and what are its benefits and limitations?

AM: Sheila Lowe (of Vanguard) has developed a software program that comes very close to what an analyst does. It can not do what is known as evaluation: determining the impact one trait has on another to enhance or dilute it, so it doesn't take the place of the analyst but does a pretty good job. The kind you'll see at a festival, where you sign your name, are pretty bogus. They may identify one particular characteristic in the handwriting and draw a profile from it. Pretty limited to say the least. But it might be right on the one characteristic.

CG: Why do you suppose graphology isn't more widely respected and used?

AM: Probably the biggest reason is that there isn't a standardized curriculum or a recognized, accepted body of knowledge. The research that was done by very respectable scientists is getting old and hasn't been replicated. It "works"--people recognize when something is right, but don't know how the result was obtained, so put it down to intuition, occult, etc. Then there are those who read a book and think they can "do it" and create a circus show that discredits those who have studied and try to be professional. Many are reluctant to rely on something that has this tenuous acceptance and therefore its use is reduced. The people I've worked with have told me they found it to be very valuable and would use it again: employers, engaged couples, and individuals.

CG: What are some simple compatibility traits that craftygals can look for in the handwriting of a potential mate?

AM: There are a hundred ways to experience friction in a relationship so let's look at just three: emotional responsiveness, conservatism, and thinking strategies.

Emotional responsiveness relates to how quickly one becomes "emotional" when a stimulating event is occurring. This is measured in the slant of the writing. The more right slanted, the more aroused one will become. The vertical writer will be objective, not carried away by emotion. The left slant writer will seek to protect their ego--while it may look like a "self-centered" approach, there may be a hurtful past that is the cause of that. Friction could occur if one is always identifying with the emotional situation--being compassionate, sympathetic, "others oriented" and their significant other is more objective--looking for the best solution to the problem. It helps to recognize how the other approaches a situation/person and be thankful for a totally different perspective from one's own. When these differences are recognized, accepted, and valued, growth in all the positive aspects of a relationship occurs. The slant reveals how the person feels inside: the expressed behavior may be different. For example, a right slant writer may have learned to conceal their emotions and look behaviorally like a vertical writer and a vertical writer may have learned how to behave in a way that someone interprets emotionally. For example, a vertical writer goes to the store and buys a box of candy for his girlfriend. She is pleased and reads the very objective act emotionally: he cares about me.

Conservatism is the desire to maintain the status quo. The conservative individual resists change. This is seen in writing that is closely spaced: letters, words, lines are written close together and letters are narrow. This writer in a relationship with one whose writing is loosely spaced, with a bouncing baseline will feel very uncomfortable because of the constant state of flux and lack of predictability. One will feel hurt if anniversaries are not remembered and the other will feel "chained up."

Thinking strategies are another area where friction can occur. The writer who makes rounded m's and n's is a cumulative thinker and likes to get all the information before making a decision or drawing a conclusion. If he is in a relationship with one who makes needlepoint m's and n's (they're sharply retracted instead of being rounded) there will be arguments. This writer is known as a comprehensive thinker: she can process information at an extremely quick rate--the "process" is not evident. The problem arises when the comprehensive thinks the cumulative is "slow" and the cumulative points out the number of times the comprehensive thinker was wrong. Together they'd be a dynamic duo if they could appreciate and learn to use the unique thinking strategies of the other.

CG: What about this work keeps you intrigued?

AM: I enjoy working with people and have had great satisfaction from working with women in abusive or violent relationships. They can be completely broken down to the point that they believe they have no value or talent and deserve to be treated badly. Handwriting analysis helps define their real personality and that knowledge helps them rebuild their perspective and their lives. Since I have moved to a new area, I am also looking into working with Native Americans. The unemployment rate within that population is notoriously high, as is alcoholism and depression. Handwriting analysis can help identify aptitudes and therefore where one might be successful in employment. It has many applications I am looking forward to getting involved in.

If you'd like more information on receiving an analysis, Ann can be reached at this email address: anabelle@frontiernet.net

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