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The Education Times, dtd: 29th December 2003 |
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GRAPHOLOGY
IS CLAIMED TO 8E USEFUL FOR EVERYTHING FROM THOUGH forma! education in handwriting analysis, or graphology as it is known by practitioners, is yet to develop in India, a growing number of hobbyists and self-trained professionals aver that handwriting can reveal a range of aspects, from a person's disposition and character attributes, to his sexual orientation and relationship. Graphologists claim a high accuracy rate, and by the looks of things, seem to be doing good business. Typical clients, include curious individuals, managers considering corporate fraud cases and recruitment decisions, counsellors, detectives, teachers and people seeking Insight into their prospective spouses', quirks prior to an arranged marriage. The last one, presents a big market. Doctors, especially homoeopaths more than allopaths, employ graphology as this branch of medicine deals more with root causes of disease than symptoms, attributes such as loyalty can be ascertained with reasonable accuracy through graphology, which is why it can play an important role in detecting the culprit in cases of theft or fraud. It might seem unfair that moral traits and aptitude are judged on the basis of something as abstract as the curves on one's P's. The law, on the other hand. Is more objective. Handwriting analysis is only relevant if the issue is of whether a particular handwriting belongs to a specific individual, says advocate Aabad Ponda. According to section 45 of the Evidence Act, the opinion of a handwriting expert holds good only if it is relevant in the case as evidence. Analyses of personality traits and emotional tendencies based on handwriting are of no legal relevance according to the law. Ponda adds. It must be noted here, that a handwriting expert differs form a graphologist or handwriting analyst In that a handwriting expert only confirms whether a particular handwriting is authentic, but doesn't necessarily read personality traits from it, unlike an analyst. The possible use of graphology in criminal cases is, consequently, restricted to clue gathering. Even this
there are often instances in embezzlement cases where on the basis of
handwriting reports, suspects are pinned down, following which they just
emotionally break down and confess. "Employers get an idea of the
individual's tendencies, and "A background in counselling would help, but even that is not essential," she says. Psychiatrists, again, may not entirely concur with either of these views. "Handwriting doesn't reflect the entire personality." opines psychiatrist Harish Shetty. 'Analysing a personality through handwriting is as incomplete as trying to analyse someone through their photograph; it's a limited view of a human being." 5hetty feels that handwriting is just one dimension of a personality, .and graphology could be an added armament of a therapist, but not the main one- we look at handwriting with respect to emotional distress, trauma or conflict or a mental block," he says, "but not as a conclusive report." The practicalities of graphology in real-life applications like recruitment, predictably, lie somewhere in the middle. One isn't normally hired or fired on the basis of a handwriting report, but it does give the employer an idea of what questions to ask in the interview. T Muralidharan, executive chairman of TMI Network, which has appointed an In-house graphologist in Hyderabad, says, 'It is used in the interview stage to probe in certain areas. For example, if the graphologist's report states that the person isn't aggressive enough, we might put him in a 'Situation Response Test' to check this. Interviews, he explains, are all about asking the right questions. Secondly, he adds, the report is used to get an idea of what to ask about during the reference check stage. Muralidharan says that the candidate should normally be told that he is being tested, and asked to react to the report. Also, he says, the technique is used for positions like general manager and above, "because to a large extent, the personality develops only after at least eight to 10 years of experience." The analysis gives clear cut pointers on the 'unknown' and 'disowned sides' of personality, he says, but like any psychometric technique, isn't conclusive. "If you're going to use graphology on your wife, it makes no sense," he says. Since there are no government-recognised graphology courses conducted in lndia.it is no wonder that self-proclaimed analysts abound, and others seem to find more of a market by clubbing their services with astrology, numerology and other occult practices, making it hard to take them seriously as professionals. So someone interested in studying it scientifically might have to resort to a considerable degree of personal initiative to find a good tutor. A reasonably safe way of going about it would be to buy reputed books on the subject and look up websites to get the hang of what it's all about to begin with, and thereby develop an idea of how to tell the hobbyists apart from the professionals. Look up graphologists to tutor you by asking around in the meanwhile. Those with a background in art criticism, psychology or counselling might adapt to handwriting analysis more easily. Importantly, test your tutor first by giving him handwriting samples of people you think you know very well, all the while observing his ability to articulate; a good analyst isn't necessarily a good teacher. Institutes conducting courses: (Not government-recognised) ♦ World School Of Grapho Education & Therapy, Andheri (East), Mumbai- 400 069 Tel: 91 -22-2683 5555, 9821150555 |
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