I had the pleasure of analyzing the handwriting of my pastor, Douglas Wilson, last week. I was eager to both look at his writing and also get his take on this science since I have the highest respect and gratitude toward him for his ever-ready counsel, wisdom and teaching. Before I gave him my list of just under 30 personality traits, I asked him what his opinions were on handwriting analysis in general. He explained both his respect for and reservations of it in a very helpful way – let me paraphrase:
A handwriting analyst is like a wine connoisseur. A wine expert who really knows what he’s talking about is a highly valuable person with lots of experience and knowledge. However, it’s hard to be sure which wine connoisseurs are actually experts and which are faking it. You know he’s for real if he can tell you with a blindfolded taste the wine, year, vineyard, etc. of each glass you hand him. On the other hand, it’s easy to be duped by someone who talks eloquently about something you yourself know little of, and it’s easy for an amateur wine connoisseur to fool a person.
Pastor Wilson compared this to a handwriting analyst who says things that are so general that they are hard to disagree with or else basically makes things up based on what they think will be acceptable to the writer being analyzed. He mentioned that it would be especially difficult for an analyst to be objective and science-based if the person being analyzed was someone they already knew well, because there would already be preconceptions of the writer.
These are great points to bring up, and I am glad he asked about these things because most people do. First, he’s right: you must always be wary of handwriting analysts because they may or may not know what they’re talking about, like the phony wine connoisseur in the illustration. That’s not to say, however, that there is nothing to either of these areas of knowledge, right? When someone can prove that they certainly do know a lot about wine, you trust them to know which bottle to buy. Likewise, when someone consistently analyzes handwriting with specific and accurate information, you acknowledge their skill in revealing your personality traits.
Happily, I was able to say that I had analyzed many people both known and unknown to me personally and had had great results. Also, Pastor Wilson was pleased to hear that I had learned in the setting of a well put-together handwriting analysis course and had done my homework, passed tests, etc. I told him that I have a huge awareness of the need for objectivity when it comes to analyzing anyone, even good friends, and never say any trait that I can’t confirm by pointing to at least three letter formations. I spent the next few minutes asking him about different personality traits found in his writing, and thankfully he said it was accurate and interesting! He wrote the following review of my service:
I am happy to be able to recommend Alison Bradley’s work as a handwriting analyst. She is careful, meticulous, and very professional.
Thank you, Pastor Wilson, for your insights and the opportunity to analyze your handwriting!
All the best,
Allie
My Strength and My Song 