WHERE DO METAPHORS COME FROM

In accordance with the ecological (i.e., realist) approach to psychology, we argue that metaphors originate from a process of resonating to perceptual information in the world. Metaphor is defined as a species of perceptually guided, adaptive action that involves the detection and use of structural or dynamic properties that remain invariant across kinds. Metaphor, in addition, involves an active, partial transformation of one kind of thing (the topic) under the guidance of another kind of thing (the vehicle). This definition rejects views stating that metaphor is a deceptive language use, or a form of special-purpose classification, and extends the scope of metaphor to action as well as visual displays. Four studies generated by the realist approach are reviewed, along with directions for future work, all related to the development of metaphor. This article concludes that the realist view has brought about new experimental questions and methods and a novel theoretical approach.