Ductus

Sheila Lowe - Independent Study Course (Lesson 3 Part 5) Page 33

The ductus in handwriting is the vessel that carries the ink.

Sheila also mentions that: A fountain pen or a chisel-tipped calligraphy pen allows the quality of shading to be added to the stroke that a ballpoint pen, fiber tip or rollerball pens do not.

There are several factors that will affect the ductus: Ink type Pen tip or Nib

A broad-tipped pen will produce different personality traits, than would a sharp fine point pen. The width of the stroke is affected by the way the person holds the pen. Fountain pens and fiber tipped pens, held far back on the pens body will create a wider stroke, while someone who holds the pen closer to the tip, creating a thinner stroke. Some-times tiny blobs may appear along the ductus; this might suggest health problems with the writer.

Quality of Ink Flow

Homogenous

Uniform in composition throughout Ink flows smoothly

Granulated

Granular in appearance Making it rough and grainy Ink looks coarse and scattered

Amorphous

Formless (shapeless) Ink flow is pale, looks like it is without life.

The edges of the Ductus include the elements of: Sharpness, Pastosity or- Muddiness

Sharpness Has a thin edge. The stroke appears clear and sharp (with the use of a magnifying glass). Oval letters appear clear, containing no globs of ink. Sharp stroke is consistent with super-ego writing Suggests judgment on the part of the writer More intellect over emotions is found in the writer Hard for the person to relax Can impose his standards onto other people

Pastosity A thin stroke which is made without much pressure The edges of the strokes are clear with the use of a magnifying glass Lacks sharpness This signifies an easy going person More of a touchy feely type person Long emotional memory

Muddiness This is the extreme end of pastosity Muddiness is looked at as being: Not Clear, Confused, Cloudy or like Sediment Stroke looks very heavy, blurry Ink splotches in the ovals Ink smear on the page The writer has little to no control in acting out or holding back a sensual desire.

Note: It is important that the graphologist be careful with their interpretation as muddiness can be caused by psychological issues or from drug use.

Renna Nezos Graphology: The Interpretation of Handwriting Volume One Page 88 (Pasty)

The stroke is pasty, wide and indistinct without depth; the movement is slow, without tension. Interpretation: Sensuality. The writer succumbs easily to all materialistic pleasures. His will is weak. He can have good memory, particularly a visual memory.

Woman Age: 30

Page 158 Homogeneous

The writing does not vary from page to page or from one document to another it is very consistent and constant in its forms and written movement. Interpretation: Consistency and Equilibrium

Woman Age: 35

Manual of Graphology By J. Peugeot, A. Lombard & M. de Noblens Pages 123-124

Homogeneity of Form

Writings of people well adapted to life have this homogeneity, showing inner ability of sticking together.

Pages 36-37 Pasty Writing

Pasty writing has an evenly wide stroke, over half a millimeter wide, with slightly imprecise edges; the pressure is more or less strong. The writer is an extravert instinctively ready to be receptive to the environment with which he wishes to become one and not to be distanced from. The writer with a pasty stroke is, up to a point, not bothered if he is dependent on his environment, since this is the source of his inspiration.

Pages 41-42 Muddy Writing (Smeary)

In muddy writing, the stroke is exaggeratedly pasty and stagnant; the edges are very blurred, which causes extensive congestion; there is a sort of clogging of the whole trail which appears as a heavy and muddy flow progressing with difficulty. If this kind of stroke is usual, it reveals a subjective mind, lacking in clarity, frequently emotional anxiety and difficulty in getting down to action. Communication and adaption are therefore considerably affected. The hypothesis of a physical handicap or of the writer suffering from the effects of medication is not out of the question.

Advanced Graphology By Betty Link Pages 121-122 Pastosity and Sharpness

Pasosity

The width of a stroke determines whether it is sharp or pastose. Pastosity includes disturbances of width and coloration that shows up in blobs, smeared strokes, or filled in ovals. A positive interpretation of pastosity relates it to warmth of personality, responsiveness to stimuli of color and touch, to earthiness, pleasure orientation, and to the writers artistic interest or skills. Pastosity rarely is seen with light pressure but, if so, it is a clue to fatigue, ill health, or the writers uncertain state of mind about himself.

Sharpness

Sharpness is a clean looking, thin looking line of the strokes. Writers of sharp strokes usually are intellectually oriented, motivated more by theory an abstract subj ect matter than by practical concerns.

Finally in one of Sheila Lowes monographs Finding Personality Traits in Handwriting with the
Gestalt Method, Sheila puts together various handwriting traits that apply to certain aspects of writers.

As graphologist we know that one trait will not totally define a person and their personality, however, it is interesting to note where certain aspects of ductus and pastosity show up.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Aggressiveness Muddy ductus Over Control Muddy ductus Impassive Sharp ductus Demonstrative Pastosity Perfectionist Sharp ductus Exploitive Muddy ductus Generosity Pastosity Imagination Pastosity Objectivity Sharp ductus Subjectivity Pastosity