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A “Primer” in Conceptual Metaphor for Counselors
Author(s) -
Wickman Scott Allen,
Daniels M. Harry,
White Lyle J.,
Fesmire Steven A.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of counseling and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.805
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1556-6676
pISSN - 0748-9633
DOI - 10.1002/j.1556-6676.1999.tb02464.x
Subject(s) - metaphor , conceptual metaphor , perspective (graphical) , foundation (evidence) , expression (computer science) , conceptual framework , conceptual system , dimension (graph theory) , psychology , epistemology , sociology , computer science , linguistics , philosophy , artificial intelligence , political science , mathematics , pure mathematics , law , programming language
Conceptual metaphor provides a potentially powerful counseling framework, generalizable across theoretical orientations. According to the conceptual perspective, metaphor is not merely a matter of language, but is an indispensable dimension of human understanding and experience whereby more abstract ideas (like relationships) are understood in terms of more concrete experiences (like journeys). Consequently, when a couple in counseling says, “we're just spinning our wheels,” they are not only using a common colloquial expression, but also giving information about how they conceptualize their relationship. This article provides a theoretical foundation for use of conceptual metaphor and offers examples of its potential for counseling .