Metaphoric Language in Political Discourse: Does it make a difference?
Harland, A.*, & Kurczek, J. (2012, November). Metaphoric language in political discourse: Does it make a difference? Poster presentation at the Tri-States Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Platteville, WI.
• Metaphors are rich, powerful devices that can be used to easily convey
complicated messages.
• Their use in political discourse serves as a way to potentially influence a
person’s agreeability with or understanding of complex subjects.
• However, while previous work has implicated that the use of metaphor by both
dominant political parties in the US, the metaphorical roots used by each party
can be traced back to two very distinct, conceptualizations of morality.
• This begs the questions whether one system of metaphorical political
discourse is more effective than the other and whether that is modulated by a
person’s own party.
• Moral views are major factors that influence political opinions. Every political stance can be explained by one's moral position on the inner value of human beings and their role in society.
