How to Become a Handwriting Analyst

They say that your face is the index of your mind, but I don't agree with this statement anymore, in fact, saying that your handwriting is the index of your mind seems more believable to me. Don't you think? Yes, as surprising as it may seem, your handwriting speaks a lot about you.

The scientific explanation for this would be - when we write something on a piece of paper, various neural pathways are emitted in the brain from our fingers. This is the reason why when we write, our handwriting, in a way, reciprocates our mindset.

The science of studying the relationship between one's inner feelings and handwriting, through an in-depth analysis is known as Graphology. It is a scientific method through which experts interrelate a person's way of writing with that of what is going on within his or her mind.

This includes one's self-image, goals, maturity level, insecurities, socializing skills, sexual orientation, and so on.

Have you ever noticed how your handwriting turns out to be when you are in extreme moods? Try to observe;

• When you are in a bad mood, your handwriting would turn out to be messy.
• When you are in a good mood, your handwriting would turn out to be neat and clean.

• Also, if you are in a depressed mood, your handwriting would be slanting down the baseline.
• On the other hand, when you are in a pepped up mood, your writing would be rising up the baseline.

These little observations can tell a lot about your personality. A handwriting analyst can observe these minor things and determine the mental psyche of the person, what was his state of mind while writing those words?

How does he/she see things in life, what are his/her weaknesses or strengths..., all this and more can be told. If all this excites you, and if you think you have what it takes to become a handwriting analyst, then the following sections will tell you all about it.

As exciting as it may seem, the profession of a handwriting analyst, or a graphologist, is quite a challenging one! Though all of you may find this career interesting, not everyone has what it takes to do justice with this profession and its demands.

With the increasing acceptance of graphology as a science, or a pseudoscience as some may refer to it as, the demand for efficient handwriting analysts is bound to increase all across the globe. This is because at the end of the day, the way we move forward in life, be it in terms of professional growth or personal growth, we have to deal with 'people'.

Different people have different approaches in life, different thinking and different mindsets. Though they may appear to be perfect from the outside, we also need to determine whether, what we see is what we are bound to get! In this case, a handwriting analyst helps in analyzing a person beyond that which meets the human eye.

However, in order to be able to scan the personality traits of a person, one requires a strong educational qualification, and years and years of practice under a good mentor.

Everyone loves to fly, but not everyone can deal with the high altitude. The same is the case with handwriting analyst as a career.

In order to be a good observer, one needs to possess some personality traits, without which it is impossible for you to become good at what you need to do. These traits include - patience, perseverance, curiosity, socializing, and a great amount of common sense.

Remember that the job demands you to carefully study a sample of writing and determine the mental psyche of the writer. Also, the funny thing about handwriting is that there are many types of handwriting which are similar, but no handwriting is the same.

Also, there are many observations, big and small, that together can be determined about a person. Judging someone based on just one trait would be inappropriate. Which is why, if you want to become a handwriting analyst, then be prepared for hours and hours of study with persistent determination.

Handwriting analysis has a wide scope in various fields. Most of us think that the skills and expertise of a handwriting analyst is used only for the purpose of solving crime. I am sure you might have come across various cases wherein handwriting samples were carefully analyzed and that helped solve the case.

However, you would be surprised to know that this science is also used in other fields including medicine, business corporations, and for marital compatibility. Did you know that graphology is also used for the purpose of detecting ailments related to the brain and the nervous system?

Studies reveal that the famous American actor John Wayne's signature revealed the cancer of the stomach. The strokes in your handwriting, the shape that the letters form, the spaces between your letters, all this can help diagnose a health condition, business compatibility, and even marital compatibility.

Not only this, a therapy known as Graphotherapy is also used to analyze the handwriting, and thereby brings necessary corrections in the way one writes in order to bring positive changes in one's personality. Which means that, this career has a wide range of scope worldwide.

Well, unlike other courses, you don't particularly have any set criteria or eligibility to enroll for a course in graphology. However, it would be useful if you have a degree in psychology as it is relevant with the course. In fact, many institutions teach graphology as a part of psychology. Therefore, it would be a good idea if you study psychology as well.

Depending on how you want to utilize your graphologist career, you can go for relevant degrees. For example, if you want to use your knowledge for criminal cases, then a degree in criminology would be a good add-on. On the contrary, if you want to use graphology for medical diagnosis, studying criminology would be unnecessary.

You can start with the beginner's course for handwriting analysis which will give you an introduction to the basics of studying and analyzing writing samples. The beginner's course duration is usually 6 months, however, depending upon the fact that if you are doing it as a regular or a correspondence student, it may go up to a year.

An advance degree in handwriting analysis would include a lot of study, in-depth analysis of writing samples and submissions. This course is for 18 months. There are various reputed institutions which offer degrees and diplomas in graphology for you to become a Certified Graphologist or a Certified Master Graphologist. Some of them are listed as under.

• International Graphoanalysis Society (IGAS)
• International School of Handwriting Sciences (ISHS)
• International School of Handwriting Analysis (ISHA)
• American Handwriting Analysis Foundation (AHAF)
• American Association of Handwriting Analysis (AAHA)

• National Society for Graphology (NSG)
• International Graphology Association (IGA)
• Institute of Graphological Science (tIGS)
• Insyte Inc.

Apart from the institutes mentioned earlier, which are mainly located in the United States, the below institutes outside the United States are also known to offer a degree in graphology.

• Instituto Superior Emerson, Buenos Aires, Argentina: BA (Graphology)
• The University of Urbino, Italy: MA (Graphology)
• Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain: MA (Graphology)

Among these institutions, there are some which also offer a distance learning course. However, I feel that for an intense study like this, it is always better to enroll for regular classes so that one gets a chance to interact and learn from experienced mentors and professors.

Nevertheless, if you wish to go for a distance learning course, then there are many online courses available. These include Dr. Erika M. Karohs' Handwriting Analysis Courses, International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), Barbara Weaver, The Cambridge School of Graphology, United Kingdom, etc.

I have already mentioned about the scope that this career path has to offer. Whenever we think about a good career, we think about good money. So even though this profession sounds fun and interesting, how will it benefit you in terms of money? Well, again, the monetary rewards vary depending upon your qualification and experience in the field.

Nevertheless, if you wish to go for a distance learning course, then there are many online courses available. These include Dr. Erika M. Karohs' Handwriting Analysis Courses, International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), Barbara Weaver, The Cambridge School of Graphology, United Kingdom, etc.

In fact, there are handwriting analysts earning way more than these amounts because, they have immense experience, and the nature of work that they perform is more intense and complex. So your monetary rewards really depend based on your nature of work.

I believe that if you love your job, and have the passion and the eagerness to learn more and more, then success is bound to accompany you, no matter what you do. We live in a people's world, wherein association with the right people can make us successful, whereas wrong people can lead to our downfall.

Which is why, you would be surprised to know that in European countries, 80% of the employers go for handwriting analysis of the applicants before hiring them in their organization. This trend is also picking up in other countries, including the US. The field of graphology is new and has not reached its peak.

So get ready to look out for the best courses available, and fly like the early bird.