Evaluating the Utility of Metaphors for Explaining Citizens’ Political Cognitions

Journal Title: Journal of Social and Political Sciences - Year 2018, Vol 1, Issue 4

Abstract

Research on metaphor's role in politics has thus far focused predominately on metaphors used by the political elite. While these metaphors are important, they provide limited insight on metaphor's capacity as a reasoning tool for citizens. Metaphor as a cognitive mechanism enables citizens to make sense of the political world by drawing from previous knowledge and experience in nonpolitical domains. Because metaphors shape and constrain understanding by framing it within existing knowledge structures, they generate important predispositions. As a result, the study of metaphor offers an opportunity to enrich our descriptive understanding of the political cognition of citizens. The implicit nature of metaphorical reasoning means that empirical investigation will be a challenge for future research, but previous studies on metaphor suggest some productive avenues. Metaphor offers not only the chance to better explain how citizens view the political world and why they hold the preferences they do, but its criteria and processes also hold wider relevance for political psychology research.

Authors and Affiliations

Steven J. Campbell

Keywords

Related Articles

Relationship Between Principals’ Autocratic Leadership Style and Motivation of Support Staff in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya

Staff motivation is a significant factor in enhancing organizational commitment and productivity. In a school system, two types of staff perform their duties in a complementary manner, namely the teaching staff and the s...

Source, Composition, and Social Movement of the Middle Class in Hong Kong and Macao – A Social Observation Based on Local Media Public Opinion

Based on relevant media reports from Hong Kong and Macao SAR, the article discusses the source composition and social characteristics of the middle class in Hong Kong and Macao and analyzes the current interests of the m...

Morphology of Backpacker Dormitory Inside Traditional Balinese House, Canggu Village, Bali, Indonesia

https://www.asianinstituteofresearch.org/JSParchives/Morphology-of-Backpacker-Dormitory-Inside-Traditional-Balinese-House%2C-Canggu-Village%2C-Bali%2C-Indonesia

Credit Scoring Application at Banks: Mapping to Basel II

Credit scoring is a process to find out the numerical assessment that mainly relied on an analysis borrower' profile. A credit score is primarily based on a credit report information commonly sourced from customer files...

President Buhari’s Foreign Policy: A Realist Perception

President Buhari came to power in the midst of challenges ranging from security, economy and international relations. To overcome these challenges, Buhari’s government decided to look inward for reforms in the overall se...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP437389
  • DOI 10.31014/aior.1991.01.04.40
  • Views 81
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Steven J. Campbell (2018). Evaluating the Utility of Metaphors for Explaining Citizens’ Political Cognitions. Journal of Social and Political Sciences, 1(4), 532-531. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-437389