ABSTRACT
Explorers in the world of objects are fueled by wonder, awe, and curiosity. The literature provides a myriad of pathways for thinking about objects and object experiences. Scholars leading thought and innovation in the study of objects wear many hats and their work is highly multidimensional. Objects are fundamental to human development, cognition, perception, identity, socialization, communication, and learning. From a psychological perspective, objects are formidable, truly awesome forces. Objects are identifiable in the semiotic sense but become meaningful only in the multidimensional experience of the individual. True perception demands not just a cognitive interaction with an object, but a subjective wholeness of experience in which emotional, physical, and intellectual engagement forms a moment of deep connectivity. The object’s symbolic and representational functions, its thingness, personal associations, and perception as an instrument of social purpose supports the participant’s formation of self.
