Graphoanalysis

Graphoanalysis is the system of handwriting analysis developed by Milton N Bunker. He first studied handwriting analysis around 1913. By 1929, he had enough confidence in his system to form the American Grapho Analysis Society. This organization later became the International Graphoanalysis Society.

Whilst the roots of Graphoanalysis are in the writings of Abbe Michon, the influence of Crepieux-Jamin is very apparant.

The basic idea of graphoanalysis is that every stroke reveals something about an individual, but that meaning only has significance when it is found with other indicators.

Isolated strokes are significant, but only to the extent that what they reveal is expressed elsewhere in the handwriting.

There are 119 basic traits, each of which can, and ought also be determined by evaluating strokes other than the basic stroke that is used to identify the character trait.

One scores a trait from the basic stroke. Then one evaluates all of the strokes, to come up with an evaluated score for a specific trait. The difference in scores provides clues about how that trait is expressed.

The starting point in doing an analysis is by measuring the upslant of 100 consecutive letters. Degrees are not measures, but rather the zone that the upslant falls into. These zones are:

• F--
• F-
• FA
• AB
• BC
• CD
• DE
• E+
• E++

Both E++ and F-- are used by very few Graphoanalysts.

The next step is determining the pressure of the writing. Virtually every handwriting analyst has a different idea on how best to determine pressure. The most common methods are:

• feeling the underside of the paper with one's hand.
• Looking at the number of carbons that the writing can still be read on.
• Measure the width of the line of the writing
• Look at the gouge that the writing instrument made in the material
• Use a graphodyne
• Guesswork/experience

All of those methods have problems. The most objective appears to be measuring the width of the writing line. It can fail, because ball point pens usually leave a uniform line.

One popular practice is that felt tip pens are, by definition, light pressure, whilst ultra thin ball points are, by definition, heavy pressure.

At this point one measures the width and height of each stroke. Then one goes on to score the basic strokes.

It takes an analyst roughly two hours to score all the traits. Computers only slightly reduce the amount of time the process requires.

See Also

Reference Works

International Graphoanalysis Society
The Encyclopedic Dictionary for Graphoanalysis
Chicago, IL: IGAS: 1964. First Edition

There have been more recent editions of that work. I do not have publication dates for them. officially, only IGAS members could obtain copies of that book. Used bookstores will have copies available for sale, every so often.