Handwriting Analysis
Laws/Principles...and More
As individual as a fingerprint and more revealing than a pastoral confession handwriting is a window to the psyche that cannot be covered over. The author writes “…handwriting will tend to be more reliable revealing a person’s personality rather than modified public behavior.” After all intelligent people obscure unfavorable facts simply by conforming to conventions in social interaction. Cammarata’s instructional book reflects wherever possible the place of scientific method in building analytical interpretation whose accuracy is supported by results. He succeeds to a degree.
Two studies the author performed years apart suggest that the average size of a handwriting sample’s middle zone home of core personality indicators has long been overstated by the field’s authorities. But the importance of this finding isn’t satisfactorily conveyed. The indispensable tool in this line of work is a reliable pair of digital calipers. Newbies may be surprised at the dogged numerical inputs which support the analyst’s conclusions. Hundreds of comparisons are sometimes needed for an analyst to stand firmly behind a determination. Letter sizing spacing slant and so on can be quantified but the reasoning which assigns trait meanings still gives every appearance of being a subjective art.
There are no longer any accredited graphology programs in the United States. At the moment the discipline’s efficacy is viewed as controversial but that may soon change due to a growing trust in Statistical Process Control. Handwriting recognition is important to national security agencies and human resource professionals looking to stabilize the hiring process. Objective qualifications are generally verified previous to interviewing. Still undetermined are hidden pathologies; the candidate’s approach to interpersonal dynamics and whether they match up well with the prevailing workplace culture—this is where the use of graphology can be rationalized. The author points out that it “is the personality which performs the work; not education or experience.”
Cammarata’s training began under the mentorship of Pedro Velasco and now reflects more than thirty years of on-the-job study. His firm Handwriting Analysis Inc. is based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. He’s recently retired from a concurrent career in the field of biomedical engineering.
Chapter titles are tersely comprehensible: “Pressure” “Alignment” and “Spontaneity.” Major causes of distorted or disorganized script aren’t adequately considered; limiting conditions such as arthritis writing in a moving vehicle bad ink difficulty reaching the paper or writing in low light conditions. Written descriptions of handwriting characteristics are backed by only a single page of actual samples. The paucity of visual examples means that those considering a course of study in the discipline will have to buy at least one other book to see what each characteristic actually looks like. The practical value is as a reference rather than a step-by-step instructional on the science of interpretation.
Reviewed by
Todd Mercer
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
