How to Coach Yourself and Others Better Coaching Through Visualisation | Page 224

15.5 Limitations of metaphors
The power and the limitation of the metaphor is the way that the
vehicle brings not just a little bit of understanding but a whole
world. When you say 'I am a dog', you bring the entire world of
dogginess to the subject.
The underlying assumption is that the vehicle is correct and that in
any conflict of meaning, the subject is wrong.
This can be a limitation and a trap, as you may want to bring some
attributes but not some of the less desirable ones. Metaphors must
thus be used with care. If I say 'you are stupid', then 'stupid'
effectively replaces 'you', and all of you becomes all of stupid.
15.6 Metaphor is how we learn
Metaphor is one of the primary ways in which we learn. Learning is
the process of making new associations in our minds, creating
meanings, and metaphors are ideally suited for this. Most simply it is
communicating or explaining a concept by likening it to something
else. The two things may have little actual resemblance to each
other, but our familiarity with one allows us to gain understanding of
the other.
Metaphors can V