Study on Superstitions and Their Extent in Taiwan

This article presents a multidisciplinary analysis of the persistence and influence of superstitions, focusing on their spread and survival in Taiwan. Taiwan's unique cultural landscape, where rich Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist traditions coexist alongside cutting-edge technological advanceme...

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Main Author: Fernando Darío González Grueso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Belgrade 2025-04-01
Series:Etnoantropološki Problemi
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Online Access:https://eap-iea.org/index.php/eap/article/view/1317
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author Fernando Darío González Grueso
author_facet Fernando Darío González Grueso
author_sort Fernando Darío González Grueso
collection DOAJ
description This article presents a multidisciplinary analysis of the persistence and influence of superstitions, focusing on their spread and survival in Taiwan. Taiwan's unique cultural landscape, where rich Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist traditions coexist alongside cutting-edge technological advancements, plays a significant role in shaping collective beliefs distinct from those in mainland China. The extensive acceptance of several superstitions leads to minor outbreaks of collective hysteria, which generally remain in a latent state. This study employs methods including cross-cultural comparison, ethnological analysis, and findings from contrastive studies in Behavioral Psychology studies. It begins by tracing the origins and evolution of the concept of superstition within the context of folklore studies. The paper then examines this phenomenon through anthropological and psychological perspectives, incorporating analyses from scholars such as Brunvand, Frazer, Lévi-Strauss, Kirk, García Mieres, Irwin, and Skinner. The article concludes with a discussion of the specific superstitions prevalent in Taiwan, exploring their formation, dissemination, and the degree of belief among the populace. Methods employed include cross-cultural comparison or Ethnology and the conclusions extracted from a contrastive analysis of Behavioral Psychology studies. 
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series Etnoantropološki Problemi
spelling doaj-art-e2663791fddc44c28ff169ad2aa0e0532025-08-20T03:07:31ZengUniversity of BelgradeEtnoantropološki Problemi0353-15892334-88012025-04-0120110.21301/eap.v20i1.6Study on Superstitions and Their Extent in TaiwanFernando Darío González Grueso0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8718-6439Tamkang University, New Taipei City, TaiwanThis article presents a multidisciplinary analysis of the persistence and influence of superstitions, focusing on their spread and survival in Taiwan. Taiwan's unique cultural landscape, where rich Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist traditions coexist alongside cutting-edge technological advancements, plays a significant role in shaping collective beliefs distinct from those in mainland China. The extensive acceptance of several superstitions leads to minor outbreaks of collective hysteria, which generally remain in a latent state. This study employs methods including cross-cultural comparison, ethnological analysis, and findings from contrastive studies in Behavioral Psychology studies. It begins by tracing the origins and evolution of the concept of superstition within the context of folklore studies. The paper then examines this phenomenon through anthropological and psychological perspectives, incorporating analyses from scholars such as Brunvand, Frazer, Lévi-Strauss, Kirk, García Mieres, Irwin, and Skinner. The article concludes with a discussion of the specific superstitions prevalent in Taiwan, exploring their formation, dissemination, and the degree of belief among the populace. Methods employed include cross-cultural comparison or Ethnology and the conclusions extracted from a contrastive analysis of Behavioral Psychology studies.  https://eap-iea.org/index.php/eap/article/view/1317superstitionTaiwancultural anthropologybehavioral psychologylocus of control
spellingShingle Fernando Darío González Grueso
Study on Superstitions and Their Extent in Taiwan
Etnoantropološki Problemi
superstition
Taiwan
cultural anthropology
behavioral psychology
locus of control
title Study on Superstitions and Their Extent in Taiwan
title_full Study on Superstitions and Their Extent in Taiwan
title_fullStr Study on Superstitions and Their Extent in Taiwan
title_full_unstemmed Study on Superstitions and Their Extent in Taiwan
title_short Study on Superstitions and Their Extent in Taiwan
title_sort study on superstitions and their extent in taiwan
topic superstition
Taiwan
cultural anthropology
behavioral psychology
locus of control
url https://eap-iea.org/index.php/eap/article/view/1317
work_keys_str_mv AT fernandodariogonzalezgrueso studyonsuperstitionsandtheirextentintaiwan