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Summary

Time in the psyche is not only an external scale, but the inner fabric of experience: duration and rhythm shape the form of sensations, emotions and meanings. This chapter introduces a key operational category – temporal handwriting – as a person’s stable way of living through time. We regard handwriting as the result of interaction among three layers of rhythms (biological, sociocultural and archetypal), show its logical links with Jungian types (introversion/extraversion) and propose a working matrix for classifying handwritings. A separate section is devoted to the idea that temporal handwriting can be reflected in cultural artefacts – especially in ornament – opening perspectives for interdisciplinary diagnostics and research.

Key Concepts

Temporal handwriting – an individual’s stable manner of experiencing and structuring time. It is a personal style of time: how a person feels duration, holds the past, anticipates the future and experiences atemporality. It manifests in speech tempo, actions, emotional cycles and life rhythms.

Durée (длительность) – living inner time (Henri Bergson).

Introversion / Extraversion (temporal interpretation) – orientation toward inner temporal dimensions vs sensitivity to external rhythms and events.

Rhythms of nature and culture – biological (circadian, etc.), social (epochal, traditional), archetypal (collective unconscious).

Rhythm sensitivity – the degree to which a person’s state is determined by external cycles (season, moon, solar activity).

Discreteness / digital handwriting – a fragmented, «portion-based» organisation of time under the influence of the digital environment.

Atemporality – a modality of experience outside the linear «before—now—after».

Ornamental diagnostics (hypothesis) – the idea that ornament and artistic forms can record and reflect the temporal handwriting of an individual or a culture.

Aims of the Chapter

– To argue for temporal handwriting as a fundamental category of temporal psychology.

– To ground its origin in the interaction of biological, sociocultural and archetypal rhythms.

– To propose a working matrix for classifying handwritings, suitable for theoretical development and future empirical research.

– To describe the promising idea of ornamental diagnostics and outline methodological paths for testing it.

– To clearly distinguish theoretical foundations from practical implications – directing practice to subsequent chapters and appendices.

Main Text

1. Time as Not Only a Dimension, but a Form of the Psyche’s Being

Modern philosophy and phenomenology have repeatedly emphasized that the inner duration of experience is not identical to the external chronometer. Bergson called this durée – the inner flow in which past, present and future are linked not by simple succession, but by mutual interpenetration. Husserl showed that the «now» is a synthesis of retention (holding of the past) and protention (intention toward the future), rather than a point of instantaneous fixation. These ideas give us a methodological support: time is a quality, a form, a fabric – not only a sum of segments.

For psychology this thesis has practical meaning: if time is a form of experience, then changing the form (tempo, rhythm, density) changes the very character of experience. Trauma «compresses» time, turning it into a repeating plot; meditation «stretches» time, opening a different kind of presence; anticipating the future «accelerates» motivation and reorganizes behaviour. The question is not only what a person experiences, but what kind of time-handwriting he or she has.

2. Rhythms: Layers that Shape Handwriting

The psyche is inscribed into a multilayered grid of rhythms. Let us distinguish three levels, since their interaction accounts for most of the variability of handwritings.

Biological rhythms. Daily cycles, hormonal fluctuations, seasonal changes – all this sets the physiological possibility for a particular life tempo. Chronotype (lark/owl) is a simple example: the way «owls» move through the morning part of the day differs from «larks», and this is reflected in the whole psychic organisation.

Socio-historical rhythms. Culture supplies calendar rituals, work cycles, rhythms of celebration and mourning. The era of industrial discipline, the era of digital «multi-windowing», the era of artisanal slowness – each historical style embeds the individual in its own tempo.

Archetypal rhythms. Here we speak of those structural and symbolic cycles that Jung and his followers associated with the collective unconscious: the rhythms of birth—death—transformation, cycles of mythological reconstruction, recurrence of certain images and meanings. These rhythms are qualitative; they set «atemporal» tones and sometimes lead the personality toward peak experiences.

Temporal handwriting is formed at the intersection of these three layers: a stable biorhythm can be «rewritten» by culture, but archetypal echoes can restore certain patterns – especially in crisis or in altered states of consciousness.

3. What Is Temporal Handwriting? – Definition and Functions

Temporal handwriting is a complex characteristic of personality that includes:

– stable tempo parameters (speed of switching, duration of stable states);

– the modality of relating to past, present and future (for example, the degree to which the past has been worked-through, capacity to project the future, propensity for experiences of eternity);

– sensitivity to external cycles and readiness to integrate them into everyday life;

– stable behavioural rituals through which time is shaped (rituals of beginning/ending, boundary practices).

The functions of handwriting are as follows: it structures attention (what the «temporal field» of consciousness is directed to), it ranks motivational resources (when and at what tempo a person is able to act), it creates stability – either as resistance to shocks or as vulnerability to loss of rhythm.

Handwriting is not only descriptive but predictive: knowing a person’s handwriting, we can forecast proneness to depression (tendency toward prolonged, «frozen» time), anxiety (accelerated, «skipping» handwriting) or creative episodes (alternation of accelerations and deep atemporal insights).

4. A Matrix of Temporal Handwritings: Methodological Framework

To systematise, we introduce a two-axis model: on the X-axis – Introversion ↔ Extraversion (in Jung’s sense, but interpreted as orientation to inner time vs external rhythms); on the Y-axis – Accelerated ↔ Slowed tempo. Additionally, we take into account three modifiers: rhythm sensitivity (to biological/lunar/seasonal cycles), discreteness/digitality and atemporality.

In practice, a person’s modality is denoted as a combination: (introversion/extraversion) × (accelerated/slowed) ± (rhythm sensitivity / discreteness / atemporality). Below are working types with extended descriptions.

4.1. Introvert – Slowed (Concentrative Handwriting)

Characteristics. Long inner duration of experiences; deep reflection; inclination toward contemplation; high tolerance for monotonous inner work.

Manifestations. Slow speech tempo, rich inner symbolism, elaborate dream plots, tendency toward philosophical interpretation.

Theoretical meaning. Here time is a field of accumulation and synthesis; living through past layers can be productive, but under trauma may lead to stuckness (time-void).

Psychotherapeutic task (in theory). To support movement toward integration (small behavioural steps), prevent rigidity and help build external anchors.

4.2. Introvert – Accelerated (Flash/Insight Handwriting)

Characteristics. Inner jumps of attention and insights; intense experiences of short duration; alternation of highs and lows.

Manifestations. Fast thinking, episodes of productivity followed by exhaustion, sometimes insomnia or disrupted sleep rhythms.

Theoretical meaning. The psyche operates through sudden restructurings; this is a mode of discoveries, but vulnerable to depletion.

Psychotherapeutic task. Structuring and planning recovery, translating insights into stable actions.

4.3. Extravert – Accelerated (Social-Dynamic Handwriting)

Characteristics. Continuous reaction to the external stream of events; high mobility of attention and behaviour; life as a series of social rhythms.

Manifestations. Frequent contacts, high switchability, strong involvement with novelty.

Theoretical meaning. Personality is synchronized with the sociocultural tempo; with abrupt rhythm disruption – risk of burnout.

Psychotherapeutic task. Introducing practices of slowing, working on restoring biorhythms.

4.4. Extravert – Slowed (Traditional/Epochal Handwriting)

Characteristics. Life according to long external cycles (family rituals, professional traditions); stability, conservatism.

Manifestations. Attachment to traditions and rituals, consistent behavioural patterns.

Theoretical meaning. This handwriting provides general stability; yet when change is necessary, resistance arises.

Psychotherapeutic task. Gently fostering flexibility and openness to the new.

4.5. Rhythm-Sensitive Handwriting (Transversal Modifier)

Characteristics. Strong correlation of mental state with external cycles: daily, seasonal, lunar; sensitivity to light, changes of day, etc.

Theoretical meaning. Here the mechanism of handwriting is tightly intertwined with physiology; chrono-biological interventions promise high effectiveness.

4.6. Discrete / Digital Handwriting (Modern Modifier)

Characteristics. Temporal experience is cut into portions of activity: sessions, notifications, short windows of attention.

Theoretical meaning. The technological environment shapes a new handwriting; consequences include changes in deep integration of experience and attention.

4.7. Atemporal Handwriting

Characteristics. Tendency toward experiences that transcend linear temporal logic: peak states, mystical insights, transpersonal episodes.

Theoretical meaning. A source of meaning-making and creativity; without adequate supports – risk of disorientation. It requires careful therapeutic integration.

In practice, handwriting rarely fits neatly into a single cell of the matrix; more often we are dealing with a dominant pattern accompanied by several secondary features. The matrix provides working hypotheses that require empirical validation.

Ornament as the «External Signature» of Handwriting

5. Ornament as the «External Signature» of Handwriting – Hypothesis and Methodological Directions

Culture is not a neutral background: it codes rhythms, and ornament is one of the most evident forms of such coding. Ornament presents rhythm in visible form: repetition, interval, density, openness/closure of form. Hence a natural, tentative transition: if a personality has a stable handwriting, and if culture fixes rhythms, then ornament may carry traces of the handwriting of both individual and epoch.

Working hypothesis. Extraverted handwriting is more often expressed in open linear ornaments (waves, rows, flows), introverted – in closed, centripetal ornamental structures (circles, concentric compositions). Accelerated handwritings yield small, dense rhythms; slowed ones – large, «stretched» motifs.

Methodological paths for testing the hypothesis:

– Collecting a corpus of ornaments (ethnographic and contemporary design) and classifying formal characteristics (closed/open, density, rhythmicity, modularity).

– In parallel – psychological surveys and screening of temporal handwriting in creators / bearers of these ornaments.

– Statistical analysis of correlations: preference for forms ↔ handwriting indicators.

– Cross-cultural testing and contextual work: recognizing that ornament is culturally conditioned and may express a collective font rather than purely individual handwriting.

Ethical and methodological caveats.

Ornamental diagnostics is an auxiliary tool, not a substitute for clinical assessment. One cannot directly interpret a preferred pattern as a diagnosis; context, symbolism and tradition must be taken into account.

6. Theoretical and Empirical Implications: Directions for Further Work

The concept of temporal handwriting opens several avenues for research and practice:

– Cognitive-neurobiological correlates.

– Which neurophysiological parameters (HRV, cortisol profile, circadian markers) correlate with handwritings? One may expect clearly marked circadian patterns in rhythm-sensitive handwritings.

– Development and formation of handwriting.

– How do childhood, parenting modes, trauma, educational practices and cultural context shape handwriting? The role of epigenetics here is an important hypothesis.

– Clinical validation.

– Testing how well handwriting diagnostics predicts responses to specific interventions (chronotherapy, cognitive restructuring, mask-therapy).

– Cultural semiotics.

– Exploring ornamental and artistic manifestations of handwriting as part of cultural history.

7. Ethical, Clinical and Methodological Limits

– Avoid reductionism: handwriting is not a diagnosis but a description of rhythmic features.

– In the presence of severe pathology (psychosis, acute suicidality), avoid provocative projects without clinical preparation.

– When working with cultural symbols, maintain respect and avoid universalism (take local meanings of patterns into account).

– Any diagnostic procedure must be validated and aligned with ethical research standards.

8. Conclusions and Link to the Rest of the Book

Temporal handwriting is a central construct linking the philosophy of time with applied psychotherapy.

This chapter provides the conceptual foundation: handwriting is the signature of time in the psyche, formed by biorhythms, culture and archetypes.

Further on we will develop this idea: in the Appendix to Chapter 1 you will find a brief practical screening sheet; in Part II (especially Chapter 21) – the «Face of Personality» method and detailed mask-therapy techniques that use the notion of handwriting in practice.

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Literature and Commentary

The following list brings together the philosophical and psychological texts underlying the theoretical core of this chapter, as well as contemporary directions in empirical research on time. For further study of temporal handwriting, works on the phenomenology of consciousness, the cognitive neuroscience of time, chronobiology and the epigenetics of rhythms are recommended.

Bakhtin, M. M. – «Forms of Time and Chronotope in the Novel» (1937—1938)

Shows how artistic forms record temporal structures of experience; an example of ornamental and narrative coding of time in culture.

Bergson, H. – Matter and Memory (Matière et mémoire, 1896)

A foundational work on inner duration (durée); distinguishes phenomenological time from physical measurement.

Buonomano, D., & Eagleman, D. – The Brain and Time (2009)

Reviews neural mechanisms of time perception; demonstrates how the brain constructs duration and sequence.

Frankl, V. – Man’s Search for Meaning (1946)

Highlights the centrality of future orientation in human motivation; relevant for the projective dimension of temporal handwriting.

Freud, S. – The Interpretation of Dreams (Die Traumdeutung, 1900)

Explores how the past continues to live in the present; psychoanalysis as an «archaeology of time.»

Grof, S. – The Holotropic Mind (1992)

Empirical foundation on altered states and transpersonal experiences; essential for atemporal dimensions of the psyche.

Husserl, E. – On the Phenomenology of the Consciousness of Internal Time (1905)

A classic analysis of the lived «now,» retention and protention; foundational for temporal structure of consciousness.

Jung, C. G. – Psychological Types (1921); Synchronicity (1952)

Typology supporting the axes of temporal handwriting; synchronicity introducing supra-temporal connections.

Kleitman, N. – Sleep and Wakefulness (1939)

Classic research on sleep—wake biological rhythms; base for chrono-aspects of handwriting.

Kravchenko, S. A. – Temporal Psychology (2017); works on the «Face of Personality» (2020—2025)

Authorial corpus forming the methodological and clinical base of temporal psychotherapy.

Maslow, A. – Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences (1964)

Describes peak experiences as atemporal states with developmental significance.

Plato – Timaeus (c. 360 BCE)

Foundational concept of time as an «image of eternity»; philosophical basis for temporal categories.

Suddendorf, T., & Corballis, M. – «The Evolution of Foresight» (2007)

Evolutionary theory of mental time travel; highlights the unity of memory and imagination of the future.

Wittmann, M. – Felt Time (2016)

Neuropsychological study of subjective time; links temporal perception with emotional and bodily regulation.

Review studies on chronobiology and epigenetics (20th—21st centuries)

Show rhythmic inheritance and biological underpinnings of temporal organisation.