We learn in grade school that metaphor is an ornamental figure of speech reserved for poets. But we now know that it is also a key strategy people use to make sense of the world, from basic concepts like time and causation to the major social issues facing society. In this book, Mark Landau clarifies with wide-ranging evidence the many ways conceptual metaphor guides our thoughts and actions, shining a light on the cognitive underpinnings of social life. Conceptual Metaphor in Social Psychology synthesizes over twenty-five years of in-depth research. Drawing from innovative experiments conducted around the globe, Landau shows conclusively that individuals and groups use metaphor-often unconsciously-to grasp abstractions, make judgments and decisions, communicate, and organize their behavior. Each chapter explores metaphor's importance for understanding a major topic in social psychology: social cognition, motivation, culture, the self, interpersonal relationships, intergroup dynamics, politics, and health. What emerges is a powerful explanation of how social behavior is shaped by and reflected in our bodily functioning, cultural context, and language use. Integrating insights from cognitive linguistics, anthropology, and personality, this book makes a compelling case that conceptual metaphor has a pervasive effect on human affairs. Researchers in social psychology will discover new ways to think about and investigate these related topics, while students of psychology will learn about an exciting development in understanding enduring questions about who we are and how we got that way.

We learn in grade school that metaphor is an ornamental figure of speech reserved for poets. But we now know that it is also a key strategy people use to make sense of the world, from basic concepts like time and causation to the major social issues facing society. In this book, Mark Landau clarifies with wide-ranging evidence the many ways conceptual metaphor guides our thoughts and actions, shining a light on the cognitive underpinnings of social life. Conceptual Metaphor in Social Psychology synthesizes over twenty-five years of in-depth research. Drawing from innovative experiments conducted around the globe, Landau shows conclusively that individuals and groups use metaphor-often unconsciously-to grasp abstractions, make judgments and decisions, communicate, and organize their behavior. Each chapter explores metaphor's importance for understanding a major topic in social psychology: social cognition, motivation, culture, the self, interpersonal relationships, intergroup dynamics, politics, and health. What emerges is a powerful explanation of how social behavior is shaped by and reflected in our bodily functioning, cultural context, and language use. Integrating insights from cognitive linguistics, anthropology, and personality, this book makes a compelling case that conceptual metaphor has a pervasive effect on human affairs. Researchers in social psychology will discover new ways to think about and investigate these related topics, while students of psychology will learn about an exciting development in understanding enduring questions about who we are and how we got that way.

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, labeled conceptual metaphor theory, has stimulated systematic empirical study on metaphor's role in social psychological phenomena primarily over the past decade. This book summarizes 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