Metaphoric analysis of meaning in the lives of elderly men: A cross-cultural investigation

Abstract

Explicit and implicit metaphors were analyzed as a means of determining personal meaning in the lives of elderly (70 and older) English and Indian men. Analysis of explicit metaphors indicated marked differences in their psychological worlds, with the English men being more privatized and stoic, and the Indian men expressing strong achievement concerns, while remaining embedded in family and society. Analysis of the implied metaphors confirmed this picture, while indicating related underlying beliefs. The English protocols revealed an underlying nature metaphor, which appeared to reflect their attempt to find a sense of personal continuity missing in their personal and cultural lives. Nature metaphors were missing in the Indian sample; the image of building up, of completing duty (“dharma”) to family and society, as well as to God, was an underlying metaphor in their protocols. The uses of metaphor for getting at unarticulated assumptions was discussed, along with their potential usefulness for gaining other reliable information from interview protocols.