Wen-Li Soong
Institute of Sociology National Tsing Hua University
Starting from the very basic concept, this study of semiotic psychology attempts to build up a comprehensive understanding of an occult object through an investigation of the Dieh-Xian (a Chinese Ouija) phenomenon. What is an object? When Charles Sanders Peirce first coined the tripartite structure of sign-object-interpretant, he actually suggested a new psychology for the study of things. Being situated in an interlocutionary relations, people can only understand the dialogue as if they are in the story. The nature of the object and, subsequently, the speaking subject, are to be restated. Dieh-Xian is not an objective thing but a thing capable of becoming a speaking subject. “He/She” may be a spokesperson of the occult tradition, and may be a Self. The findings of the investigation show that Dieh-Xian is able to grow through the expansion of its meaning in the text and its context.
Keywords: semiotics, semiotic psychology, Dieh-Xian, occultism, Charles Sanders Peirce, Umberto Eco