I am often asked where one would use handwriting analysis. Handwriting analysis has several applications. The most frequently used application in South Africa is in human resource selection. However, as handwriting is really a response of the hand to the brain impulses, handwriting analysis can be done to determine other facets of being human. These include:
Personality assessment which provides insight into the personality and character of the individual useful to life sciences professionals
Career Guidance which assists with determining career choices by identifying aptitude, interests, values and intellectual potential, useful to career counselors
Marriage Compatibility highlights areas of possible conflict and compatibility between the couple useful to relationship counselors
Compatibility in Business identifies strengths and weaknesses as well as areas of possible conflict and compatibility
In Personnel Selection/Recruitment, graphology assists in determining the most suitable candidate for the job specification by highlighting personality, character, strengths and weaknesses of applicants
Child Guidance. Graphology assists by means of the projective techniques including doodles, drawings, lines etc, to highlight possible emotional disturbances. Graphology also assists in monitoring personality development in children and is useful to educators, psychologists and parents
Graphology assists criminologists and psychotherapists in establishing where potential areas of concern might be or whether a particular treatment or therapy is effective
Graphology could assist medical doctors to determine the area of the body where a physical problem may be present
Forensic Handwriting Identification (Forensic Analysis) is a specialised field for the detection of forgery and fraud in questioned documents. Forensic Handwriting Identification does not assess personality although personality and other factors are what make the forensic specialist able to pick up peculiarities in handwriting.