karakterologie

Karakterologie is a pseudoscientific discipline that aims to understand and classify human personality and character traits. Historically, it has encompassed various approaches, including physiognomy, phrenology, and graphology, all of which sought to derive insights into a person's inner disposition from external physical characteristics or behaviors. Physiognomy, for instance, linked facial features to personality, while phrenology focused on skull shape. Graphology attempts to analyze handwriting to reveal character.

The core premise of karakterologie is that observable physical or behavioral traits are indicative of underlying psychological makeup. Proponents believed that by studying these external markers, one could predict behavior, assess moral character, and even determine aptitudes or potential flaws. These ideas were particularly popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, influencing fields like criminology and educational assessment to some extent.

However, modern psychology largely dismisses karakterologie as lacking empirical support and rigorous scientific methodology. The methods employed are often subjective, prone to confirmation bias, and fail to account for the complexity and fluidity of human personality. The scientific community considers these practices to be pseudoscience, as they do not meet the standards of falsifiability, replicability, and objective measurement required for scientific validity. Contemporary psychology relies on validated assessment tools and research methodologies to study personality.