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Working with the metaphor of life and death

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Philip Barker

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Abstract

The experience of being human is intangible. As a result, descriptions of human experience rely heavily on metaphor to convey something of that whole lived experience. By contrast, contemporary scientific narratives of the mind emphasise the form of human thought and emotion, over the content of people's experience, where constructive attempts are made to explain the experience of self, through metaphorical allusion. This paper considers the importance of metaphor as a vehicle for expressing and exploring selfhood. Examples from the psychiatric literature, as well as from the visual and literary arts, are used to reflect on the importance of metaphor in clarifying the meanings of the constructs of health and illness.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Barker P

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Medical Humanities

Year: 2000

Volume: 26

Issue: 2

Pages: 97-102

ISSN (print): 1468-215X

ISSN (electronic): 1573-3645

Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/mh.26.2.97

DOI: 10.1136/mh.26.2.97

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