Verification of Psychodiagnostic Capabilities of Handwritten Texts

Abstract

Introduction. The research paper contains a critical analysis of the graphological approach to the study of handwritten texts. The problem statement is justified by a special way of the formation of domestic psychology, which has been isolated for a long time from world tendencies. Although the study of manuscripts is not a widespread practice, graphological analysis is recognized at the highest academic level, including in the field of legal proceedings. The aim of the study is to test empirically the diagnostic potential of handwriting as a product of linguistic activity of an individual. Research Procedure.The object of empirical testing is the left-hand slopе as a deviation from the usual way of writing. The data on variability of the variable in the sample of 119 students were collected; three study groups were selected on the basis of clusterization: with left-handed, direct-handed and right-handed writing. Results. The interpretations of the left-hand slope in graphology manuals are studied, and the lack of the evolution is shown. It was find out that the descriptions are philosophizing around previously published texts with the addition of details, author’s own associations; herewith the characteristics of the handwriting are anthropomorphized and directly transferred to the characteristics of personality. A questionnaire has been developed to verify the effect of personal validation. With regard to 40% of the statements of the questionnaire, all respondents expressed a positive opinion; these formulations do not differentiate the respondents and do not have any diagnostic value. None of the graphological interpretations of the left-hand slope was really more expressive in the left-handwriting group. According to the indicators of K. Riff’s Scale of Psychological Well-being, two cases of statistically significant difference between groups with different handwriting were found: the scales of “Environmental management” and “Balance of affect”. The obtained results lead to the idea that handwriting concentrates, to a certain extent, personal characteristics of the author and is an informative psychological feature – but this interpretation must be confirmed by the data of the psycholinguistic method. In general, the research paper demonstrates that handwriting can be the subject of scientific research, to which methodological procedures recognized in modern psychology are applied.