Jeffrey MacDonald
The outstanding elements of this writer's personality are his extroverted drive (extreme rightward slant) together with his inner emotional turmoil (very irregular writing, variable form and variable size, irregular baseline, lack of continuity, i.e. writing stops and starts). He lives in a state of feverish activity (strong rightward drive, sacrifices legibility for speed), always responding to outside events (irregularity of form and movement, exaggerations of slant and form), with his underlying motive being to win social approval and praise (threaded form denoting hysteric character type which is characterized by an excess of extroversion).
His hyperactivity creates the appearance of an assertive and dynamic personality (see above, plus angles), quick and versatile in his ability to deal with new situations (threaded form of writing, variable letter forms). He is driven to impress favorably everyone who crosses his path, in order to gain their admiration of his abilities and actions and to avoid their disapproval or rejection. But inwardly he feels inadequate (undefined middle zone form, small middle zone size) and constant physical action (excessive writing speed, some long and full lower zones) or intense involvement in work reduce these feelings.
He has the self-control (gaps in continuity of writing, angles, arcades) to prevent his emotions from surfacing, so that friends and associates remain unaware of how dependent he is on their good opinion of him. This self-restraint conceals what he suspects are his weaknesses or faults (flat arcades), and even his true motives. This is how he maintains control over the current circumstances of his life.
When the writer hides his feelings and intentions, he not only hides his emotions from others but suppresses them within himself (distorted middle zone letters). By this means he covers up negative aspects of his personal life from the outside world and rationalizes or denies them to himself (split letter forms). He thus avoids coming to grips with what truly motivates him (disturbed rhythm, changeable writing size in all zones). This lack of self-understanding often leads him to be out of touch with reality (illegibility of writing, parts added on to upper zone letters) in assessing or dealing with situations that affect him most on a personal level.
Therefore, his restlessness and exaggerated activity are a flight from his inner anxiety and tension violent (slant changes of letters), an overcompensation for his inner weaknesses and inadequacies (changing form of ppI, lack of balance between writing movement and form). He deals with his problems by escaping them and by dodging confrontation or firm commitments (lack of firm vertical strokes) -- running away from personal difficulties, so to speak, rather than facing them.
This suppression or denial of his true emotions creates great internal tension. He responds to this tension with episodes of stubbornness and cruelty caused by his pent-up frustration (intermittent angularity, irregular letter size, filled in ovals, word endings downward and slightly clubbed).
Although outwardly he tries to play the role of the perfectionist, striving for high standards, inwardly he is a risktaker (strong rightward drive, sudden bursts of writing speed). He welcomes new ventures or ideas, wishing to be free from the fetters of convention and tradition (writing style far removed from copybook style), and is secretly rebellious or defiant towards the demands upon him of routine and authority (irregular left margin).
Pulled hither and yon by unconscious and opposing forces (changing forms of letters and connections between letters) -- dependence versus independence and hostility versus love -- neither inner peace nor outer predictability are within the writer's reach (variable base line, generally confused writing style). Such daily stress exhausts his emotional energy. In personal relationships, his reactions are often unbalanced or unreliable (shifting emphasis of writing pressure). He gives in to outbursts of hostility and bad temper (suddenly enlarged letters, extreme angularity) toward those who least expect them.
The combination of his hypocrisy in social dealings, his lack of self-awareness, and avoidance of obligations add up to a person with no emotional roots (mixed form of lower zone, often weak or incomplete), no commitment to anyone but himself. All his energies are applied to defending an uncertain self-image whose defects he refuses to admit.
His hyperactivity creates the appearance of an assertive and dynamic personality (see above, plus angles), quick and versatile in his ability to deal with new situations (threaded form of writing, variable letter forms). He is driven to impress favorably everyone who crosses his path, in order to gain their admiration of his abilities and actions and to avoid their disapproval or rejection. But inwardly he feels inadequate (undefined middle zone form, small middle zone size) and constant physical action (excessive writing speed, some long and full lower zones) or intense involvement in work reduce these feelings.
He has the self-control (gaps in continuity of writing, angles, arcades) to prevent his emotions from surfacing, so that friends and associates remain unaware of how dependent he is on their good opinion of him. This self-restraint conceals what he suspects are his weaknesses or faults (flat arcades), and even his true motives. This is how he maintains control over the current circumstances of his life.
When the writer hides his feelings and intentions, he not only hides his emotions from others but suppresses them within himself (distorted middle zone letters). By this means he covers up negative aspects of his personal life from the outside world and rationalizes or denies them to himself (split letter forms). He thus avoids coming to grips with what truly motivates him (disturbed rhythm, changeable writing size in all zones). This lack of self-understanding often leads him to be out of touch with reality (illegibility of writing, parts added on to upper zone letters) in assessing or dealing with situations that affect him most on a personal level.
Therefore, his restlessness and exaggerated activity are a flight from his inner anxiety and tension violent (slant changes of letters), an overcompensation for his inner weaknesses and inadequacies (changing form of ppI, lack of balance between writing movement and form). He deals with his problems by escaping them and by dodging confrontation or firm commitments (lack of firm vertical strokes) -- running away from personal difficulties, so to speak, rather than facing them.
This suppression or denial of his true emotions creates great internal tension. He responds to this tension with episodes of stubbornness and cruelty caused by his pent-up frustration (intermittent angularity, irregular letter size, filled in ovals, word endings downward and slightly clubbed).
Although outwardly he tries to play the role of the perfectionist, striving for high standards, inwardly he is a risktaker (strong rightward drive, sudden bursts of writing speed). He welcomes new ventures or ideas, wishing to be free from the fetters of convention and tradition (writing style far removed from copybook style), and is secretly rebellious or defiant towards the demands upon him of routine and authority (irregular left margin).
Pulled hither and yon by unconscious and opposing forces (changing forms of letters and connections between letters) -- dependence versus independence and hostility versus love -- neither inner peace nor outer predictability are within the writer's reach (variable base line, generally confused writing style). Such daily stress exhausts his emotional energy. In personal relationships, his reactions are often unbalanced or unreliable (shifting emphasis of writing pressure). He gives in to outbursts of hostility and bad temper (suddenly enlarged letters, extreme angularity) toward those who least expect them.
The combination of his hypocrisy in social dealings, his lack of self-awareness, and avoidance of obligations add up to a person with no emotional roots (mixed form of lower zone, often weak or incomplete), no commitment to anyone but himself. All his energies are applied to defending an uncertain self-image whose defects he refuses to admit.
