Like fingerprints, each persons handwriting is unique. Experts have long been used by courts to determine the authenticity of signatures and other writing samples. Is there more that handwriting can tell us about a person? Many claim that such analysis has been perfected into the science of "graphology" and that a number of personality traits can be accurately surmised from people's penmanship. This collection of essays by both critics and proponents of graphology provides a balanced evaluation of claims that personality, aptitude, and psychological and physical health can be determined through handwriting.
Among the contributors to this book are graphologists who present the case for handwriting analysis and describe its practice and methods. Other essays evaluate graphology in terms of brain research; show how graphology may appear accurate even though it does not pass objective tests of validity; contrast graphology with verifiable psychological techniques; compare graphology to phrenology, astrology, and other questionable character reading systems; and review the legality of the use of graphology in employee selection, psychological diagnosis, and the criminal justice system.
Barry L. Beyerstein is professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University, British Colombia. Dale F. Beyerstein is professor of philosophy at Vancouver Community College, Vancouver, British Columbia.
515 pages
ISBN 0-87975-612-8 (cloth)
0-87975-613-6 (paper)
Return to Science and the Paranormal List