So how exactly do you cope with a hedgehog in your relationship?

There’s only one way. You have to understand the nature of the creature.

I’ve encountered many human hedgehogs with prickly personalities. And they all had one thing in common – they had well-hidden soft sides to their personalities.

No matter how prickly the outside appearance, there was always some sort of vulnerability on the inside.  I noticed that the more spikes there were, the more sensitivities there were that needed to be protected.

So what do these spikes show?

They are evidence of an effective defence system that we sometimes use as a protective screen! A defence system that uses anger, resentment, temper, irritability, sarcasm and argumentativeness as ammunition.

We use these defences because they disguise our fears rather effectively. And when we feel threatened we lash out with them.

You can easily spot these defences in handwriting

Any well-trained graphologist who is receptive to the nuances of the hand-written word knows that spikes hide insecurities. When you see a lot of spikes you can suspect a vulnerable underbelly.

Surprisingly, in handwriting our defences really do appear as spikes. You will see them as acute angles, sharp points and harpoon-like hooks. They can make up quite a formidable armoury.

However, there are varying degrees.  In handwriting, while irritability will only show up as sharp little points, deep anger and resentment will appear as slashes, dark pressure and sharp angles.

With a bit of practice it’s quite easy to distinguish a merely irritable individual from an angry one.

But take careful note, because your hedgehog may just turn out to be a really mad porcupine!

Are you the hedgehog in your relationship?