Author Archive for Pat Rarus

Resentment – Handwriting Sample of Ted Bundy

When professional handwriting analysts study a person’s handwriting, they are careful to tell their clients that most people are shades of gray. In other words, most personality traits found in someone’s handwriting can be used in either a positive or negative way. No one is completely black or all bad or completely good—lily white. However, there is one personality trait that to me, Pat Rarus, a professional handwriting analyst of 36 years, is always negative because it can poison your thoughts and, in turn, cause harm to yourself and others.

That is the trait of resentment. The International Graphoanalysis Society, where I received my training, states that resentment is shown as a rigid beginning upstroke in handwriting. Please note the many rigid resentment strokes in the handwriting of serial killer Ted Bundy in this handwriting sample from the 1970s: Bundy has recently become a popular subject of interest because of the 2019 Netflix series, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.”

Why was Bundy so resentful? Two main reasons, according to various news reports: He was born illegitimate and resented his mother for never telling him the truth about his father. Also, this serial killer and rapist took the lives of innocent women because he “harbored a grudge” against his first girlfriend who broke his heart, according to a May 2019 blog on nzherald.co.nz, a New Zealand media outlet.   Of course, most people who show resentment in their handwriting do not go around murdering others! They may, however, turn their anger inward and quietly seethe when they are asked once again by their church, PTA or other group for which they volunteer to lead yet another project, host another fund-raiser or even provide food to an event for which they are not reimbursed. 

According to Robert Enright Ph.D., who wrote in a March 2017 article in Psychology Today, “…resentment over a long period of time can…lead to unhappiness, continual irritability, and psychological compromise, including excessive anxiety and depression (Enright & Fitzgibbons, 2015).”

Driving this point home even more profoundly is a quote by Nelson Mandella, South African political leader and philanthropist, which says, ““Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Mandella’s quote appeared in a 2016 post on the blog Don’t Judge Your Life. Also in this blog are observations by Dr. Carsten Wrosch, of Concordia University in Montreal, who explains that… “Resentment and bitterness interfere with our body’s hormonal systems. This causes a majorly damaging effect through our entire body, much like extreme stress. Dr. Wrosch also has noted that “…These negative emotions interfere with our immune system as well causing us to be susceptible to illness and disease. The negativity can even cause heart problems, according to Dr. Charles Raison of the University of Arizona Health Sciences.”

When many psychologists and medical doctors agree that resentment causes physical illness, I believe this is proof enough to let go of this “inner poison” and find a more positive way of coping. If you see this rigid upstroke in your handwriting, consciously rewrite the word so that the upstroke is curved not rigid. If you do this consistently for seven weeks, you should be able to change this destructive habit and banish resentment from your life.