The interest in handwriting as an indicator of personality has its origins far back in history. Over 2000 years ago, Aristotle noticed the correlation between handwriting and personality while the Chinese independently also made the observation that there was a connection between character and writing.

It was however, only in 1622 that an Italian physician and professor of philosophy at the University of Bologna, published a book describing the analysis of character through the study of handwriting.

In the late 1800's, Abbe Michon who was the headmaster of a school in Paris and a respected intellectual, wrote several books on the subject and coined the name of "graphology". Later, his successor, Crepieux Jamin, classified the many features of graphology into a comprehensive system.

Meanwhile, during the 1890's in Germany, Dr Ludwig Klages, a philosopher and graphologist, applied gestalt theory to graphology, advanced his theories of rhythm and "form level" and significantly broadened the scope of graphology.

Max Pulver, a Swiss professor who lectured in Graphology at the University of Zurich used psychoanalysis for the first time in the interpretation of graphology. This line of investigation was also followed by Ania Teillard, who worked closely with C.G. Jung for 20 years and applied his typological theories (extrovert and introvert etc.) to the theory of graphology.

Alfred Binet, the renowned psychologist who founded the present method of I.Q. Testing for intelligence was a firm supporter of handwriting analysis. He confirmed that certain character traits are reflected in handwriting.

As a method of personality assessment, handwriting analysis has been validated by research using both empirical and clinical procedures.

Handwriting as a personal trademark

Handwriting is a very personal and individual trademark of personality. As no two people have exactly the same handwriting, signatures have for hundreds of years been regarded as legally binding on documents of all types. A person's handwriting is his own private trademark or seal which cannot be reproduced by any other individual.

This was firmly believed by no less a personality than Sir William Herschel who founded the system of identification through fingerprints. He accepted that handwriting revealed character in the same way that fingerprints reveal identity.

Alfred Binet, the renowned psychologist who founded the modern method of I.Q. Testing for intelligence was a firm supporter of handwriting analysis and confirmed that certain handwriting traits revealed actual character traits.

The French psychologist, Pierre Janet (1859-1947) referred to handwriting analysis as a "science of the future" and described handwriting itself as; "an act which leaves a printout. It is the film record of the writer's sensibilities."

The "printout" left by handwriting is a description of the individual's character in psychological code. The graphologist, by using scientifically validated graphological techniques in combination with psychological theory is able to decipher that code and to translate it into a meaningful description of the writer's character.