The Road to Hell is Paved with Metaphors
The Negotiator's Desk Reference (Christopher Honeyman & Andrea Kupfer Schneider, eds., 2017)
13 Pages Posted: 14 Feb 2018
Date Written: February 13, 2018
Abstract
Metaphors are so deeply embedded in our minds that they are, to a large extent, how we think. This creates an enormous trap for negotiators, as they not only tend to start out with metaphors for conflict handling that derive from war, but tend not to notice their assumptions. Yet metaphor can be the key to a solution, as well as the central problem. The authors argue that developing a holistic understanding is the essential element in using metaphor creatively—that, and avoiding letting a metaphor creep up on us, like a thief in the night.
Keywords: negotiation, dispute resolution, conflict management, conflict resolution
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