Metaphor Analysis in Psychology—Method, Theory, and Fields of Application

Authors

  • Karin S. Moser University of Zurich

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-1.2.1090

Keywords:

Metaphor analysis, analogy, cognitive linguistics, context-sensitivity, mental models, schemata, cognitive anthropology, distributed representation, tacit knowledge

Abstract

The analysis of metaphors is a classical research theme in linguistics, but has received very little attention in psychological research so far. Metaphor analysis—as conceptualized in cognitive linguistics—is proposed here as a qualitative method for psychological research for several reasons. Metaphors are culturally and socially defined, yet they also represent a basic cognitive strategy of analogical problem solving. Metaphors are context-sensitive, yet at the same time they are abstract models of reality much in the same way as mental models and schemata in cognitive psychology. The multifaceted properties of metaphors allow for the study of micro-interactions between cognition and culture in open and qualitative research designs. They also enable the bridging of the gap between quantitative-experimental and qualitative approaches in psychology. Because metaphors are of high plausibility in everyday experience, metaphors are a valuable tool for interventions in applied fields of research such as organizational and work psychology. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0002212

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Karin S. Moser, University of Zurich

Karin S. MOSER, Dr. phil., is a senior research fellow at the University of Zurich in Social Psychology (Habilitationsstipendium), and a senior researcher at the Institute of Work Psychology at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland. Current research projects are concerned with the role of language in action regulation and knowledge cooperation. Methods applied range from field research in industrial firms with both qualitative (interviews, observation, document analysis) and quantitative approaches (questionnaires) to laboratory experiments. Senior lecturer in research methodology and psychology at the Universities of Zurich and Bern, and the ETH Zurich. Research interests: language, action, automated action, mental models, tacit knowledge, knowledge cooperation, knowledge management, self-concept, qualitative and quantitative research methodology, triangulation of methods, assessment of tacit knowledge, metaphor analysis.

Downloads

Published

2000-06-30

How to Cite

Moser, K. S. (2000). Metaphor Analysis in Psychology—Method, Theory, and Fields of Application. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-1.2.1090

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2000): Qualitative Methods in Various Disciplines I: Psychology

Section

German Qualitative Psychology

License

Todos los artículos en FQS están protegidos por la Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Los autores mantienen los derechos de autor y retienen derechos de publicación sin restricciones.

Ya que se ha presentado una contribución y después del proceso de revisión de pares exitoso, los editores FQS tienen el derecho a publicarla. 

Las contribuciones enviados deben ser originales. Deben no haber sido publicadas o enviadas simultáneamente para publicación a otro sitio en forma similar o con el mismo contenido en general. Reimpresos de contribuciones ya publicadas en otro sitio son aceptadas si (a) atrae los intereses de los lectores FQS y no ha alcanzado ya una audiencia amplia, y si (b) se asegura que el poseedor de los derechos reservados permite la reimpresión (en caso de que la persona que envíe no sea el poseedor del derecho). Si esas condiciones son satisfechas, FQS puede aceptar reimpresos, los cuales serán publicados con la referencia al lugar de la primera publicación.

FQS tiene el derecho de publicar cualquier contribución, e.g. en CD-ROM o para ediciones impresas seleccionadas en cualquier momento en el futuro. En ese caso, los autores respectivos serán informados. 

Para más preguntas, siéntase libre de contactarnos por medio del correo electrónico.