1. © POSbase 2005 Graphology Graphology is based on the claim that personality traits are expressed in people‘s handwriting. Graphologists often work in personality assessment and claim to be able to predict an applicant‘s future success on a job. These claims have no scientific basis, and graphology, like astrology, does not have any predictive power (Ben Shakhar et al., 1986; for a summary: http://www.ntskeptics.org/factsheets/graphol.htm).astrologyBen Shakhar et al., 1986 http://www.ntskeptics.org/factsheets/graphol.htm Contributor

2. © POSbase 2005 Graphology (1)Handwriting does not predict personality traits; (2)Personality traits are often bad predictors of job performance. Predicting job performance by graphology is practically impossible on two levels:

3. © POSbase 2005 Graphology If there is no scientific basis for graphology: why do people believe in their diagnoses? Among the numerous reasons are:  Apparent validity (Forer, 1949);Forer, 1949  Apparent specificity (Snyder, 1974);Snyder, 1974  Positive hypothesis testing: If I read in a handwriting analysis that I have self-doubts, I look for information that confirms the statement, and not for information that would falsify it. Positive hypothesis testing