The Power of Metaphor

This book explores the possibility that people understand abstract social concepts using metaphor, which from this perspective is not simply a matter of words. Rather, it is a cognitive tool that people routinely use to understand abstract concepts (such as morality) in terms of superficially dissimilar concepts that are relatively easier to comprehend (such as cleanliness).

Although observations on metaphor's cognitive significance date back to Aristotle, the development of a formal theoretical framework, labelled conceptual metaphor theory, has stimulated systematic empirical study on metaphor's role in social psychological phenomena primarily over the past decade.

This book summarises current knowledge and integrates recent developments for readers interested in the topic of metaphor and, more broadly, in the cognitive underpinnings of social life.

Some topics covered include

• overcoming many of the empirical limitations confronting linguistic analyses of conceptual metaphor
• how metaphoric influences guide perceptions of other people and the self and judgments of right and wrong
• relying on metaphor when constructing memories of social stimuli
• the role of metaphor in judgment and decision making
• how exposure to metaphor in mass political communication influences observers' attitudes toward social and political issues