Graphology is the study and analysis of handwriting especially in relation to human psychology. From my reading of graphological literature, one concept emerges as essential to understand the general assumption. This concept may be listed as - handwriting as a form of emotional or dramatic expression. A general presupposition of graphology is that all movements have dramatic nuance and mirror temperamental tendencies. Writing is described as an expressive movement both with gestures and the emotional attitude. There is an example of our scheme written by George Bernard Shaw - speed of writing, mechanical premises, historical determination, emphasis of pressure, expansion and spacing.
Talking about space and symbolic direction on the sheet, there are four symbolic directions where we can write - high, low, right and left. High is related to ideal, to imagination, and in a wider way, to infinity. Low is the symbol of the ground which, on the contrary, is something concrete, reliable, touchable, and in this way it represents the matter, the common sense, and in a wider way, so the unconsciousness and the instinct. Left is the area related to the past, the mother who gave us birth, our origin, Right, on the contrary, stands for others, the future.
Symbolic directions on the sheet where we can write are important in psychology, while basic graphic signs are important in analysis of handwriting. There are several basic graphic signs. A ‘descending’ handwriting shows a tendency to suffer environmental pressure, to accept others’ requests, not to take initiative. An ‘adherent’ handwriting shows the availability to cooperate with the environment, to be realistic, but not too enterprising, lacking in initiative. An ‘ascending’ handwriting shows initiative, aggressiveness, ambition, optimism, a push to get oneself better and to change reality in a positive way. If it is too ascending, it indicates a detachment from reality, shifting into intrusiveness and nerve.
In conclusion, graphology or psychology of handwriting has been developing until nowadays and it has many oppositions, which are still very difficult to be proved as truths.
References:
http://www.astralis.it/scritto_e.htm
http://spi.sagepub.com/content/5/4/207.abstract
http://www.archive.org/stream/graphologypsycho00downuoft#page/n5/mode/2up
http://books.google.lt/books?id=MAi9L2ofmUkC&pg=PA124&dq=Psychology+of+handwriting&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false
Picture references:
http://www.google.lt/imgres?imgurl=http://www.crystalinks.com/penspiral.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.crystalinks.com/graphology.html&usg=__YxdHlYAbwncr5gOPqent0fWGcs=&h=320&w=432&sz=33&hl=lt&start=33&zoom=1&tbnid=D44mSU43Uqc0VM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=169&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhandwriting%26hl%3Dlt%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D971%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1400&vpy=519&dur=2721&hovh=193&hovw=261&tx=80&ty=98&oei=McSVTMTuF9aSjAfilP30BQ&esq=undefined&page=2&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:33
