Graphology remains a controversial topic, but still has its uses

It is fascinating that in the age of digital communication, screens and keyboards, when most of us have abandoned pens and paper, Caroline de la Tournelle is still in demand – to do analyses of handwriting.

She says her ability to decipher handwriting has influenced whether hundreds of people got jobs, helped police track death threats and even saved a child that was being abused.

Graphology remains a controversial topic and has fallen out of favour in recent years – even in France, where it was widely used in the 20th century to gain psychological insights into individuals, especially for job applications. But, apparently, the art still has its uses.

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A human resources manager in Paris said graphology has enabled him to weed out job applicants who would be potentially “difficult” employees. Practitioners say their work is firmly founded on scientific principles of measuring and assessing.

Studies have debunked claims by leading exponents of graphology in the past and it has attracted fraudsters over the years. Its use as an job evaluation tool has long since been superseded by psychometric testing.

We still believe the best interpreters of handwriting are pharmacists – as anyone who has seen a doctor’s prescription notepad will testify.

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