HANDWRITING OF INTROVERTS AND EXTRAVERTS 73 



27.5 for introverts. Four of the latter were rated lower in general quality of 

 handwriting than any extravert and two who wrote very conventional 

 hands, higher than the highest extravert. 



The most interesting item in comparison is, however, the following: in 

 twelve out of the fifteen pairs the extravert scored higher than the introvert. 

 Except for extremely controlled hands the introvert departs more than the 

 extravert from the conventional letter-design and for this reason is penalized 

 in the scoring. 



It was thought that quite possibly the measurements of slant for the 

 thirty graphic specimens would show some outstanding differences between 

 the two groups since judges cite backslant or irregular slant as an introvert 

 characteristic. Actually, however, the average measurements show little 

 or nothing. The average slant to the right was for the extravert 23.94° 

 with a mean deviation of ±12.96; for the introverts, 22.63° with a mean 

 deviation ±12.58. Moreover, when uniformity was determined by finding 

 the mean variation of each sample from its own average slant, the extraverts 

 were found to vary ±4.68° and the introverts ±4.80°. The only thing 

 that would seem possibly significanl is the fact that, just as in the case of 

 total score, so too for uniformity of slant the range of variation for introverts 

 is greater than for extraverts. With a larger number of samples something 

 of interest might develop here in terms of a different distribution curve for 

 variations from the mean. 



Letter-formation has already been discussed under general quality. To 

 repeat: the introverts depart more from conventional letter design than 

 do extraverts except for cases of highly controlled writings. So far as line 

 quality is concerned there is little difference shown by the averages. 



An investigation somewhat similar to the one I am reporting was carried 

 on by Jislin 2 who concerned himself with the handwriting characteristics 

 of Kretschmer's constitutional types. His mode of procedure was purely 

 observational with no measurement of either graphic samples or penmen, 

 and consequently no statistical treatment. A collection of one hundred 

 fifty specimens was made from male subjects between the ages of twenty 

 and forty selected because of their conformity to certain bodily types, — 

 seventy-four pyknic, seventy-four asthenic and two athletic. Jislin de- 

 scribes the characteristic handwritings of the two main groups as analyzed 

 by himself and found considerable general agreement between body-build 

 and handwriting, although there were many discrepant cases. Some of 

 these he attributed to peculiarities of the peripheral apparatus, peculiarities 



2 S. G. Jislin. "Korperbau, Motorik, Handschrift." Ztschrift f. d. ges. Neur. u. 

 Psychiat., xcviii (1925), 518-523. 



