Reconsidering 'image metaphor' in the light of perceptual simulation theory

“Image metaphor” is defined in conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) as a mapping of visual structure from one entity onto another based on the mental images they evoke. It is considered an exceptional, one-off phenomenon that is most commonly found in literary discourses. However, according to perceptual simulation theory, all language, both literal and metaphorical, is understood partially by simulating in our minds what it would be like to actually perceive the things that are being described. These findings call into question the original distinction between image metaphors and the more prototypical correlation metaphors that have always been the focus of CMT. As I will argue in this article, there are nevertheless important differences regarding the detail, vividness and complexity of the mental imagery invited by these two types of metaphor. Since it is hard to consider visualization in the abstract, examples of pictorial equivalents of image metaphors will be used to support my argumentation

Appearances and dis/dys-appearances: a dynamic view of embodiment in Conceptual Metaphor Theory

This article draws on phenomenological and sociological notions of the ‘lived’ body in order to develop a dynamic perspective on embodiment in Conceptual Metaphor Theory. My main argument is that even our most basic sensorimotor experiences are more complex, fluid, and more deeply imbued with socio-cultural meanings than many metaphor scholars assume. While our conscious awareness is ordinarily directed towards the world, making our physical actions and perceptions appear to be natural and straightforward, at times of dysfunction, such as illness and disability, the body suddenly seizes our attention and is perceived as alien. In these moments bodily experience often becomes not just the source, but also the target of metaphorical mappings. I demonstrate the usefulness of the notion of dynamic embodiment by applying it to the example of verbal and visual cancer metaphors

Looking on the dark and bright side: Creative metaphors of depression in two graphic memoirs

When people speak or write about their experience of depression, a small number of metaphors often dominate their accounts. This article uses two graphic memoirs to show how comics artists may creatively transform such entrenched metaphors by drawing on the sociocultural conventions and formal properties of the medium

Scoring a goal or an own-goal against disease? A multilevel framework for describing metaphor coherence in health campaigns

Many contemporary public health campaigns use some form of metaphor. Studies into what makes this strategy effective typically focus on the ability of metaphors to attract attention and trigger conversations. Consequently, the question of how they might enhance or impede people’s understanding of the information conveyed is often overlooked. This article brings together key concepts in Conceptual Metaphor Theory with the latest findings in health communication to present a framework for describing metaphors in health promotion on the basis of their experiential, internal, external and narrative coherence. Using the comparative analysis of two children’s comics about tuberculosis as a small-scale case study, the paper argues that metaphor coherence is particularly important in health campaigns that aim to convey complex, new information. The paper ends with suggestions for validating the framework more broadly

Women from diverse minority ethnic or religious backgrounds desire more infertility education and more culturally and personally sensitive fertility care

STUDY QUESTION What are the views, experiences and healthcare needs of infertile women from a minority ethnic or religious background living in Wales? SUMMARY ANSWER Women from ethnic and religious minority backgrounds consider that their communities have highly pronatalistic attitudes and stigmatize infertility, and express the need for more infertility education (for themselves and their communities), as well as more socio-culturally and interpersonally sensitive fertility care. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN Some people from minority ethnic or religious groups perceive pressure to conceive from their communities, experience social costs when they are unable to have children and stressful interactions with the fertility healthcare system while attempting to conceive. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This study was based on a one-day drawing workshop to collect visual (artwork produced by participants) and textual (all conversations and discussions during the workshop) data about the participants’ views and experiences of infertility and their fertility care needs. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Participants were nine adult women with a minority ethnic or religious status living in Wales, UK, who were experiencing or had experienced infertility in the past. The workshop comprised five activities: (i) small and large group discussion of infertility-related drawings, (ii) lide-based lecture consisting of an introduction to the basics of drawing objects and people and (iii) thoughts and feelings, (iv) free drawing session and (v) group sharing. Audio recordings of the workshop were transcribed verbatim. Textual data was analysed with thematic analysis. Risk for bias was addressed via individual coding by two authors followed by joint presentation and discussion of results with the research team and participants. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Forty-one themes were identified and grouped into eight distinct higher order themes. These themes described the emotional, relational and social burden of infertility experienced by women, which they perceived to result from their communities’ highly pronatalistic attitudes and stigmatization of infertility. Themes also captured women’s adaptive coping strategies and critical attitude towards pronatalist ideologies. Lastly, themes captured their overall positive evaluation of their fertility health care, their desire for more infertility education (for themselves and their communities) and for culturally competent and interpersonally sensitive care. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Our participants were a small, non-random sample recruited in collaboration with a local charity, which may mean that all participants were well integrated in their communities. Analysis focused on capturing commonalities in participants’ experiences and this may sometimes result in homogenising diverse experiences. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS More education about the infertility experiences of minority ethnic and religious groups at the community and healthcare delivery level may translate into lessened negative attitudes towards infertility and more culturally competent care, which can be beneficial for women

Drawing Out Experiential Conflict Knowledge in Myanmar:Arts-Based Methods in Qualitative Research With Conflict-Affected Communities

This article argues that arts-based methods such as drawing are particularly useful as means to explore experiential insights into how violent conflict impacts on individuals and communities in specific socio-cultural contexts and shapes their views of development and peace. It illustrates this through the discussion of a drawing workshop with members of violence-affected communities in Kachin state, Myanmar. Reflecting on the workshop findings and dynamics, and on the positive impacts the methods’ adoption had on practices of an international civilian protection NGO in Myanmar, the article concludes that, when implemented with care, arts-based methods do not only help accessing deep context-specific insights to complement outsider-expert analyses; by creating a safe space to share experiences, they also enable new engagements among local actors and with outside organizations, which can strengthen the primacy of local actors in peacebuilding and development initiatives

Pictorial and spatial metaphor in the drawings of a culturally diverse group of women with fertility problems

Metaphor has been shown to be pervasive in the way people talk and write about a whole range of diseases, including infertility. Indeed, some of the most conventional of these metaphorical expressions have become so entrenched in particular discourse communities that they are used unconsciously and automatically, even by people who do not, in fact, agree with their underlying ideological implications. As the authors argue in this article, eliciting visual metaphors in the form of drawings may reveal the meaning-making processes of individuals in a way that more richly reflects their unique experiences, including those that challenge or disrupt dominant cultural models. Based on an analysis of drawings created by a group of women in Wales from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, the authors show the importance of taking into account both explicit pictorial metaphors and any metaphorical meanings suggested by spatial composition, as well as the specific socio-cultural context in which they were created

The pragmatics of humor reception: Young people’s responses to a newspaper cartoon

This paper uses the example of 25 young people's responses to a Daily Mail cartoon on the subject of gay marriage in order to explore the pragmatics of humor reception. The results indicate that the enjoyment of a multimodal joke depends to a large extent on the background knowledge, values and attitudes of the individual. If, for instance, a cartoon is too threatening to someone's core sense of identity, it is likely to create anger and alienation rather than amusement. Humor appreciation is also shown to depend on the broader socio-cultural context in which the cartoon is encountered