CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
Almost everyone here at the University can remember time spent in middle school, when nothing was written in anything other than cursive. Some teachers even said that in high school cursive was the only acceptable form of writing and nothing could be turned in written in print. Almost everyone here also probably remembers the first time they found out that this was a huge lie. Once in high school — and now in college — many students discovered that as long as their handwriting was legible, teachers were happy to accept writing in either form. Most people kicked the cursive habit once out of junior high, but the methods of teaching students how to write in cursive are pretty uniform across the board.
now it differs from the standards originally taught. A handwriting sample can tell a lot about a person, says Dan Aldridge, a handwriting analyst.
This is important when looking at graphoanalysis (handwriting analysis) because it's a science based on variation. Essentially, it's a field of study that reveals facets of people's personalities by investigating their handwriting and analyzing
"People learn handwriting basically the same," Aldridge says. "It's the deviations you make that give away the clues we need."
The best handwriting samples are written in cursive. "Cursive flows better," Aldridge says. "It's freer and allows your true self to come out."
There are 108 basic traits of handwriting,but not everyone expresses all of them, Aldridge says. Two of the main characteristics are pressure and slant.
Pressure is the amount of force exerted on the writing utensil, and it can both measure physical energy and gauge a person's senses. For instance, a person who exerts more pressure when writing is more likely to enjoy spicier foods, louder music and more extreme sensations. A person who writes softer, then, is someone who
is likely to enjoy more modest sensations.
The slant of the letters can assess an individual's emotional responsiveness. For example, a slight forward slant is indicative of a sympathetic person who reaches out and tries to make connections with others.
A far forward slant indicates that someone is extremely emotional and often reacts quickly and vigorously to events (and, according to Aldridge, this group would include many of the wild fans you might see at basketball games).
An upright or nearly vertical slant tends to signify a more objective person, one who does not lean too far either way.
Compatibility testing for
Another characteristic of handwriting is size. Aldridge says that bigger handwriting usually denotes a person who looks at the bigger picture and is less concerned with details. Smaller handwriting, then, points to a person who focuses on details rather than assessing the overall scenario.
couples is another service available through scrutinizing handwriting samples. Aldridge says he looks for the dominant traits in each sample and evaluates whether these qualities mesh well with one another. Aldridge says that when people come in to see them, they often have an inaccurate view of themselves. He cites an example of a married couple he once analyzed. Every time Aldridge would explain what a certain aspect of the husband's handwriting meant, the husband shook his head and disagreed. The wife, however, affirmed that everything was true.
The accuracy of a reading depends on the experience and quality of the analyst, Aldridge says. He estimates that he is about 85 percent accurate in his analyses. He says he's been told both that he was completely correct and that he was completely wrong. Regardless, Aldridge would tell any skeptic to write something down and let him take a look at it.
12→JAYPLAY 04.05.2007