Writing psychology
The font psychology as a basic science of handwriting analysis explores the psychological, physiological, writing technical and social conditions of origin manuscript typing services with empirical scientific methods. It is used in graphology and as a sub-discipline of script comparison .
term
In addition to the term graphology , the term “ writing psychology” has also been used in the German-speaking world for several decades . Graphonomics is the corresponding term in the international field: an interdisciplinary discipline for the scientific research of writing, handwriting and other graphic skills.
The term psychology of writing has developed to differentiate it from traditional graphology for two reasons: On the one hand, the lack of empirical foundation of traditional graphology has been criticized. On the other hand, the fixation of traditional graphology on character traits was to be overcome and research into writing and handwriting from different perspectives made possible.
The psychology of writing and graphology also partly have the same object of investigation: traditional graphology uses handwriting to determine the characteristics of the writer. Writing psychology examines the extent to which it is possible to draw conclusions about personality traits from handwriting. Validation studies are important here.
In contrast to traditional graphology, today's writing psychology emphasizes the following aspects: Writing psychology emphasizes the need for empirical research. Empirical research requires clear definitions of writing characteristics and personality traits. Personality descriptions are based on the degree of expression of characteristics and not on unscaled characterological terms. Writing psychology is not just about diagnostics, but above all about psychological counseling in the context of a specific assignment or client concern. Writing psychology ensures transparency, reveals methods and involves those affected in the assessment and counseling process. Writing psychology is based on the methods of modern psychology.
Empirical research and practice
Writing psychology presupposes actual empirical research, as has happened again and again in the course of the history of graphology and comparative writing and is still done today. The research tasks of writing psychology include the physiological foundations of writing, cultural and social determinants of writing development, developmental psychology of handwriting, external writing conditions, technical writing aspects, internal writing conditions such as motivation or the situational psychophysiological constitution, writing movement therapy and personality psychological research. There is extensive literature on all areas.
The results of research in psychology of writing can be used in practice in a variety of areas. In particular, attention can be drawn to writing movement therapy and psychological advice on personal development, partnership advice, parenting advice and personnel advice.
Writing psychology requires ethically responsible practice, which includes a theory of writing psychology advice. A distinction between valuable and less valuable people, as at the time of Klages, is not acceptable.
Writing psychology with various authors
In particular, Teut Wallner saw the need to give graphology a better scientific basis as early as the 1960s and postulated the term writing psychology to distinguish it from conventional graphology: Today, writing psychology and graphology are often used as synonyms, although they are clear - in terms of scientific requirements differentiate: Since the 1960s, writing psychology has been developed as an empirically based and controlled method of handwriting diagnostics, as a distinction to graphology.
Not all authors agree with Wallner's demarcation, be it that they use the terms graphology and writing psychology in the same way or that they make the distinction differently.
In 1984 Lothar Michel spoke out in favor of writing psychology as a fundamental discipline. In contrast to Wallner, Michel was not concerned with handwriting diagnostics or personality psychological diagnostics, but rather with researching the conditions under which handwriting was created. Graphological or psychological interpretations aim to capture aspects of the writer's personality from the expression of the handwriting. In contrast, writing psychology as a fundamental discipline is more comprehensive and also aims to research the conditions in which handwriting originated that do not have anything to do with the personality of the writer, such as school templates, illnesses and technical writing aspects.
In 1994 Angelika Seibt developed the term “writing psychology” from a comparison of graphological and graphometric methods and criticized the requirement that the graphometric approach should not be presupposed. Empirical research only makes sense on the basis of theoretically founded hypotheses. At the same time, the practice of writing psychology cannot be fully substantiated by empirical research. A combination of methods is necessary.
In 1997 Christian Dettweiler saw a further development from graphology to writing psychology. In the course of his work as a psychologist, graphologist and psychotherapist, on the background of his scientific training, he developed the thesis psychoanalytically founded dynamic writing psychology should, like psychoanalysis itself, be understood here as a science of the dynamic unconscious, including the laws of transference, countertransference and resistance .
In an introduction to writing psychology 2017 by Angelika Seibt, methodological aspects are central. Handwriting is understood as body language in which intentions and emotions are expressed. Rules of interpretation are shown and font characteristics and personality traits are defined.
Distinctions
Differentiation between writing psychology and graphometry
Graphometry sees itself as an objectified graphology freed from theoretical requirements. Her methodological emphasis is on quantitative techniques, with the help of which connections between handwriting variables and personality variables can be determined empirically and precisely. Teut Wallner provides an example of graphometric research.
In contrast to the psychology of writing, graphometry wants to research without preconditions. In addition, only a possible connection between handwriting and personality is often discussed.
Differentiation between graphology, writing psychology and forensic writing comparison
In forensic script comparison, a very careful distinction between graphology and script psychology is required. Lothar Michel rightly demands that no graphological interpretations should be included in the comparative written findings and in the evaluation of findings.
The forensic comparison of scripts is based on comparative and scientific-technical examination procedures. However, writing psychological research is also relevant for evaluating findings.
The forensic comparison of writing takes into account the physiological foundations of writing, cultural and social determinants of writing development, as well as external and internal writing conditions. Personality psychology or the question of a connection between handwriting and personality is irrelevant. So far empirical research has not confirmed any possible connection between handwriting and personality - see graphology .
Conclusion
“Writing psychology” is an empirical method of examining handwriting. The term “graphononics” has established itself for this in an international context.
In practice, however, no clear distinction between “graphology” and “writing psychology” has been established: the term “writing psychology” is often equated with the term “graphology”, presumably because graphologists are now also welcoming an empirical basis.
literature
- Yury Chernov, Marie Anne Nauer (Eds.): Handwriting Research: Validation & Quality. Institute for Handwriting Sciences, Zurich 2018
- Christian Dettweiler: From graphology to writing psychology. Psychological and graphological contributions from 1967–1994. Leer 1997
- Angelika Seibt : Writing Psychology: Theories, Research Results, Scientific Theory Basics. Munich, Profile 1994. ISBN 3-89019-354-4
- Angelika Seibt: The Language of Handwriting: Introduction to the Psychology of Writing. CreateSpace Amazon Print on Demand 2017. ISBN 978-1-5427-4428-7
- Teut Wallner: Textbook of the psychology of writing. Foundation of systematic handwriting diagnostics. Heidelberg, Asanger 1998. ISBN 3-89334-346-6
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Angelika Seibt: Lecture at the 26th EGS Congress. May 18, 2012. p. 3.
- ↑ Teut Wallner : Textbook of the psychology of writing - the foundation of a systematized handwriting diagnostics. Asanger, Heidelberg 1998.
- ↑ Angelika Seibt: Writing Psychology - Theories, Research Results, Scientific Theory Basics. Profil, Munich 1994.
- ↑ Yury Chernov, Marie Anne Nauer (Ed.): Handwriting Research - Validation & Quality. Institute for Handwriting Sciences Zurich 2018.
- ^ Yury Chernov, Angelika Seibt: Perspectives for the psychology of writing in teaching, research and in personnel management. In: Graphology News 5/2017.
- ↑ Angelika Seibt: Language of Handwriting - Introduction to the Psychology of Writing. CreateSpace Amazon Print on Demand 2017.
- ↑ Publication list of the Swiss Graphological Society ( Memento of the original from June 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ All articles in the ZfM / ZfS 1956-2005 ( Memento of the original from November 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 263 kB)
- ↑ Per Leo : The will to essence - Weltanschauungskultur, characterological thinking and hostility to Jews in Germany 1890-1940. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin 2013.
- ↑ Teut Wallner: Textbook of the psychology of writing - the foundation of a systematized handwriting diagnostics. Asanger, Heidelberg 1998.
- ↑ Lothar Michel: For a writing psychology as a basic discipline. In: Journal of Human Studies. Volume 48, Braumüller, Vienna 1984, pp. 278-288.
- ↑ Points of contact and differences between forensic handwriting comparison and writing psychology, p. 3
- ↑ Angelika Seibt: Writing Psychology - Theories, Research Results, Scientific Theory Basics. Profil, Munich 1994.
- ↑ a b Chritian Dettweiler: From graphology to writing psychology . Psychological and graphological contributions from 1967–1994. Leer 1997.
- ↑ Angelika Seibt: Language of Handwriting - Introduction to the Psychology of Writing. CreateSpace Amazon Print on Demand 2017.
- ↑ Angelika Seibt: Writing Psychology - Theories, Research Results, Scientific Theory Basics ( Memento of the original of February 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 1994.
- ^ Teut Wallner: Correlations between forecast data, handwriting variables and training results
- ↑ Lothar Michel: Judicial comparison of writings - an introduction to basics, methods and practice. 1982, Berlin, Walter de Gruyter, p. 3
- ↑ Angelika Seibt: Social science research on changes in writing . Criminology. 12/2013. Pp. 766-775
