Identifying Metaphors as a Way to Strengthen Qualitative Findings

Metaphors are often used by individuals facing illness and serve as expressions illuminating the profound nature of patients’ experiences. Metaphors are powerful expressions encapsulating emotional nuances, existential dilemmas, and transformative journeys through illness landscapes. As the French philosopher Ricoeur posits, metaphors are not mere linguistic devices but profound tools that enrich our understanding by bridging the gap between abstract concepts and lived realities. By examining and interpreting these metaphors, researchers can uncover layers of meaning that traditional analytical approaches might overlook, enriching our comprehension of the subjective dimensions of illness experiences. Therefore, this paper explores how metaphors function as interpretative tools in qualitative research and what meaning patients assign to their illness narratives through metaphors. An analytical approach consisting of three stages, Mimesis 1, Mimesis 2 and Mimesis 3, is introduced for interpreting narratives and metaphors and avoid premature closure of qualitative analysis. The final section presents practical guidance and suggestions for enhancing the quality of qualitative data analysis. The use of metaphors enables researchers to gain a deeper understanding of patients’ illness experiences while also compelling them to demonstrate to the reader how they arrived at the themes and arguments they present. Indeed, using metaphors in the analysis of qualitative research brings out the particular or singularity of a phenomenon or event. This uniqueness has deep connections to human experience, cognition, and existence. Metaphors can thus serve as a bridge between the unique and the universal, shedding light on the existential dimensions of human lived experiences. Therefore, researchers should actively use metaphors to interpret themes in qualitative data.