They can tell what kind of a person you are without even looking at you. They know if you are a creative person, a quick learner or an independent individual. They can even tell you what kind of job you are best suited for. They're graphologists - handwriting analysis experts.
Handwriting analysis, or graphology, can be used to profile people in the areas of social skills, thinking styles and work habits. It is used as a means of establishing the authenticity of a sample for legal purposes. In the Austin area, there are six graphologists listed in the Yellow Pages.
Lillian Hutchison, a certified graphoanalyst who lives in Georgetown, was drawn to the profession out of curiosity.
"It's interesting knowing you can identify a person's handwriting just like you can their face," she said.
Hutchison has been analyzing people's handwriting since the 1970s and has studied in Texas and in Chicago with the International Graphoanalysis Society.
Analyzing handwriting is a complex process, she said.
"We analyze not only the letters, but the strokes that make up the letters," Hutchison said. "Each stroke can tell a different story. Then we combine them to see what a letter structure is telling us."
She added that all other mechanics of handwriting are also evaluated, including pressure, strokes and even pen color. Through the analysis, Hutchison can determine many types of personality traits.
"We all have the same traits. We just have them in different degree," she said. "I have been told that there are over 200 different traits."
Joan Christo, of Bruner, Christo and Associates Inc., said one way to analyze for personality characteristics is to look at how people form the letters "m" and "n." By analyzing how rounded or pointy one forms these letters, she is able to judge an individual's comprehension ability or thinking process.
Christo, who also studied with the International Graphoanalysis Society, has provided her services to an array of clients. Her most memorable analyses were those that dealt with parents and their children, she said.
"I love working with parents and children because sometimes you can help them communicate better," Christo said. "I just look at the writing of both of them, and I give them some pointers."
Hutchison's clientele ranges from businesses seeking the best employees to everyday people looking to find the right profession. She has even analyzed signatures of famous people. While evaluating the signatures of Texas legends Sam Houston and Santa Anna for authenticity, she was also able to determine information about their personalities.
"Sam Houston's signature was very large, and Santa Anna's was tiny," Hutchison said. "Those are two very different personalities. I use this analogy to describe them: Sam Houston's personality type sees the whole forest and studies it. Santa Anna's type picks one tree in the forest and studies it."
Although she is certified by the society to determine personality and character traits, Hutchison is also trained to determine handwriting authenticity.
"They both have two different goals," she said. "Both study the same mechanics, but they go off into two different directions."
Tania Lugo-Ponce, an advertising junior, said she has doubts about the validity of handwriting analysis.
"I would do it for entertainment purposes, but I don't believe in it," Lugo-Ponce said. "I don't see how they can get something from your handwriting."
But Christo said handwriting analysts can be accurate if they have studied it thoroughly. Both she and Hutchison warned against attempting to analyze without proper training.
"Giving the people the wrong analysis can be dangerous and can sometimes do more harm than good," Christo said.
Hutchison said she tries to follow a certain code of ethics when she analyzes handwriting for her clients. Hutchison said clients have brought samples of their fiancées' handwriting for her to analyze.
"I won't do it without the other's permission, because there's ethics involved," she said.
Christo has had similar experiences within her own family.
"When I first got into it, my youngest son would bring a girlfriend over to the house, and all of a sudden he would say, 'My mom does handwriting analysis. Why don't you write for her?'"
Christo said she would perform the analysis only if the results remained private.
"He finally gave up," she said. "I told him he would have to use his own judgment."
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