METAPHORS AS KEYS TO CREATIVE THINKING

Metaphors can be seen as analogies which explain new or complex ideas. A good metaphor is enriching and says more than a logical explanation. In creative thinking metaphors are also used to generate ideas. This may be done consciously–as in synectics–or unconsciously, as in hypnosis. A more inclusive way of looking at metaphors is to see them as a part of everyday speech which affects the ways in which people perceive, think and act. Realities and problems are defined by metaphors, although people might not be aware of this, in the same way as fishes learn about the importance of water only if they get out of it. It is possible to speak of a theory of metaphors in creative thinking and problem solving.