The Big Four

Special interest Article;
Anthony J. Iantosca, BCFE
IAFEI

Published by Anthony Iantosca, BCFE

For the International Academy of Forensic Examiners and Investigators.

Behavioral Profiling

The Big Four

Handwriting Analysis

Nonverbal Communication

Forensic Linguistic Analysis

Psychology

Each of these four diagnostic tools give the examiner a wealth of information. Handwriting Analysis based on American Trait Theory and Nonverbal Communication (body language), Forensic Linguistic Analysis and Psychology with proper training, study and experience will tell you how the personality will think, feel and respond under controlled / uncontrolled circumstances. When it comes to detecting deception using Handwriting Analysis and Nonverbal Communication caution is the rule. There are to many misconceptions and out right nonsense when using only Handwriting Analysis and Nonverbal Communication in attempting to detect deception.

There is no Pinocchio's nose. First I will start with Handwriting Analysis based on American Trait Theory.

Handwriting Analysis will show self and willful deceit, compulsive lying and the the most serious trait in deception the embezzler script. In this article I will explain self/willful deceit. When self/willful is detected in a sample of handwriting it does not tell you what the personality is being deceptive about. You cannot look at a persons handwriting detect the traits of self and willful deceit and state the person is a liar, cheat, sneak or thief. All we can state is the person is in a deceitful frame of mind, he/she is rationalizing something that they are having a problem with. The problem with the traits of self/willful deceit is when the person has made themselves believe in the deception (self deceit) also called (thinking errors) and now projects that deception out to you called (willful deceit), the traits of self and willful deceit will disappear from the handwriting. The reason being he/she has made themselves believe in the deception, so in their minds what they are telling you is true.

Deception is a conscious act to deceive the target, The handwritten traits of self/willful deceit as well as the other one hundred sixteen to one hundred twenty other researched traits are made sub-consciously. It is not enough to detect these traits, I must understand the psychology and the behavior patterns associated with these traits and how they will be expressed for good, bad or indifferent.

I have been asked many times over the years to analyze the handwriting/printing of a child and give a profile or I have been asked has my child been molested. This is a very difficult task. There is no one trait in Handwriting Analysis that can state or answer that question.

When analyzing the handwriting/printing of children who are first learning to write/print the handwriting will look very similar to each other in the early stages of their development this is called a "class characteristic" (same age group, same school, time period, writing style taught) as they mature they will develop into their own style of writing/printing. This is called "individual characteristics." The same procedure that is used in a Document Case for possible forgery, etc. As no two finger prints are the same, no two handwriting/printing samples are the same. Handwriting is brain writing, the frame of mind of the child/person at the time the document was penned.

There are traits when found in a sample of a child's or adolescences handwriting/printing that should not be there at this young stage of their development. The age range for a child is from the ages of one through ten, adolescences is from eleven through twenty one. The traits listed below will raise red flags to a experienced examiner. All the examiner can state is we have issues here, now I must investigate and find out why these traits are present. The list of traits are and not limited to:

1) Self/willful Deceit

2) Anger/Temper

3) Moody (unstable script/slant)

4) Vindictiveness

5) Suppressions

6) Extreme Jealousy (caution here, there could be many different underlying factors to cause this trait to manifest itself).

7) Low Self Esteem

8) Guilt

9) Dejection

When these traits are detected, identified, analyzed and evaluated, this does not mean the child has been molested or is being molested. These traits when detected are telling the examiner/profiler there is a problem here, as investigators we need to find out why these traits are present in a sample of handwriting/printing and what the child is or has been subjected to. What is causing these traits to be there in the handwriting/printing of a child of that age group.

Forensic Linguistic Analysis is now very important, asking the child open ended questions and let him/her express themselves "in their own words" children will express themselves in very childlike language. Do not change the child's language, you run the risk of the child adopting your language when describing body parts. This could be misinterpreted by an other investigator as age inappropriate language. Remain calm and keep your emotions in check, children have a deep need to comply with authority, the child will pick up on your emotions know you are upset. He/she may think they did something wrong and tell you what "you" want to hear rather than what happened.

Body Language is also very important here as well, remember "a change in behavior is a change in reality" what has caused the behavior change. Has the child become withdrawn, bed wetting, night terrors, infections. Look for bruising in certain areas of the child body that should not be there. A very important tell tale sign is to look for bruising on the ventral side of the child's arms it will look like fingerprint marks on the inside of the child's arms this would indicate the child has been grabbed very strongly by an older boy or an adult. Does the child's behavior change when around a certain person. Children are balls of energy, when a child goes dormant such as dropping their head, arms down by their sides, not making eye contact, these body language tells are called "hiding in the open" the child is hoping not to be seen by this person. That would tell me there is an issue here of some sort, I want to know what that issue is. There is much more information that I would need than what I am stating in this article.

There is nothing worse for a profiler than uncovering child molestation cases, on the flip side of that coin there is nothing worse than for an innocent person being accused of a crime he/she didn't commit.