Quote Originally Posted by Deborski View Post
I found a sample of Edward Snowden's handwriting at this site: http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/ci/st...%D0%B0%3F.html

The sample is his application for asylum in the Russian Federation, and it appears to have been made in a hurry on whatever paper he could find, ostensibly because he is stuck in the transit zone at Sheremetevo.

snowden asylum app.jpg

I am a certified handwriting analyst and just briefly looking at this sample, I can make the following observations:

1. Snowden's signature where he scratches out his name but also forms a strong triangle shape on the end - reveals self loathing but also determination. This could have to do with the current situation he is in rather than referencing a constant frame of mind. He also seems angry, annoyed (with himself).

2. The writer's preference for printing rather than cursive, while typical of his generation, also reveals someone who prefers privacy, hides his personality from others

3. The round o's with no inner loops show honesty, bluntness

4. he is very attentive to detail, but tends to be a selective listener.
Yeah, but people are TAUGHT to write letters in a certain way! For example, I was taught to make a little loop inside the "o" !!!
Part of it is just convenience; how to write as fast as possible while still making it look legible.

I was taught the "new" Scandinavian cursive, then moved to a school that preferred the "old" cursive and had to change.
This looks different from, for example the German cursive which has different.

And if you write a language that uses a lot of vowels, like Finnish, then of course you get a bit sloppy with all the vowels!
etc! Swediish has very long words and you get a bit sloppy towards the end of the word sometimes, whereas English has shorter words.
Also the flow is halted if you constantly have to stop and put umlauts and accents on the words.
Surely it can't be a reliable representation of the personality!

I'd say this would only work if you apply it on people who were taught the same type of cursive. For example comparing yours and mine would be apples with pears, wouldn't it? We were taught different cursive applicable to different languages.

But perhaps with you analyzing Snowden, it's a relevant match; same language at least but possibly he was taught a different type of writing from you? He's not even writing cursive at all.