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 View)Initial Impression of this writing The outstanding characteristic of this writing is its control and tension, indicated by the writer's struggle to maintain verticality, angularity in letter forms and along the baseline, plus narrow letters, all revealing self-control and emotional repression, and the compulsive personality type. Analysis of principle features The writer's attempt to maintain a vertical slant reflects his effort to adopt a detached or impersonal attitude, positively characterized by independence and restraint, but negatively by self-centeredness and rigidity. This aloof and impartial demeanor, reinforced by wide spacing between lines, reveals someone resisting the influence of both outside forces and inner emotions, preferring to rely on reason. His is an artificial or escapist attitude, including suppression of emotion rather than absence of emotion. The writer's emotional susceptibility is found in both the fluctuating middle zone size and baseline, depicting emotional pressure on the writer for which there is no release. Equally, the diminished and sometimes near threaded middle zone, small compared to upper and lower zones, together with an insignificant and defensive ppI, represent his weak self-image. The considerable difference in length of upper and lower zones over middle zone portrays the writer's never resting ambitions, interests and goals at the outer limits of his ability to achieve. This causes restlessness and dissatisfaction with his life. The handwriting's poor impulse rhythm further suggests the writer is uncomfortable with his inner nature. The writer's energy is primarily funneled into the area of his demanding conscience, represented by the dominating upper zone, as well as middle zone angularity and contraction of middle zone letters, particularly of ovals. His ambitions and beliefs control his life. However, upper zone covering strokes and middle zone vowel covering strokes point to the existence of the writer's hypocrisy in these areas of life. Offsetting upper zone dominance is the long, pressured lower zone, sometimes with full loops denoting a strong sexual drive, sometimes blunt ended denoting frustration of that drive. Preoccupation with instinctual forces is reinforced by middle zone letters and terminals which drop into the lower zone. High form level, angularity and regularity in arrangement and pressure reveal that the writer possesses good intelligence, hard working qualities, and above all, the perseverance necessary for success in his chosen occupation. Tepee formations in the t-stems and strong t-bars with horizontal pressure indicate the writer's perseverance verges on stubbornness in the face of obstacles or adversity. In his work life, the small angular writing, together with careful punctuation and precise i-dots, portray the writer's good concentration, his hard working and responsible qualities, one who doesn't shun the drudgery of detail. Connected writing reflects his consistency of thought and single-mindedness. He tackles problems at hand in a direct, practical way, and is unhampered by sentimentality or ties to the past, as shown by lack of either lead-ins or excess flourishes in letter forms. He is purposeful and disciplined as expressed in the overall regularity of the writing. His social behavior, although outwardly friendly or at least impartial, shown by small garlands together with verticality, mask a dogmatic viewpoint, as revealed by baseline angularity and some downward terminals and t-bars. His detached demeanor is reinforced by wide interlinear and interword spacing. The tall upper zone, d-stems in particular, depict ambition tinged with arrogance. In addition, the tall upper zone speaks of scholarly and philosophical pursuits, and the idealist who expects perfectionist standards of himself. The compressed quality of the writing, together with largely missing or down reaching (counterstrokes) terminals, show that in close, as well as casual relationships, he is selfish and ungenerous. Closed or retraced ovals and narrow interletter spacing reflect limited sharing of his true feelings. Ink-filled ovals suggest occasional explosions of verbal temper because of emotional tension and frustration. Strong t-bars with horizontal pressure express his authoritative nature and the imposition of his will on others. These characteristics combined with precise, strong i-dots, many directly over the i, indicate he is emphatic in what he says and does. The potential for cruelty is evident in the blunt endings of many downstrokes or counterstrokes. Left tendencies balancing right tendencies testify to a personality divided and held in tension between introverted and extroverted qualities. Such tendencies, together with narrow letters and moderately quick writing, describe the cautious and inhibited individual, pulled equally between the inner forces of his nature and outer forces of his environment. Summary In summary, we have a writer torn between the opposing forces of idealism and conscience versus frustrated instinctual drives. The battle between the two results in an overcontrolled personality, uncomfortable with himself, paying the price for bottling up his emotions and natural instincts with possible unpredictable eruptions of emotion.
The writing sample is a photocopy of newspaper printing of uncertain quality. Pressure is inferred from the overall appearance of the sample.
Guest Analyst: Rosemary Arnold, CG
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