Metaphorical Structuring of Pattern Analysis

Abstract

The research process of pattern analysis is—like love—minimally structured by conceptual subcategories that explain and describe the process. This is why this chapter tries to narrate a metaphorical structuring of the process of pattern analysis by charting the process as similar to making a jigsaw puzzle. The metaphorical structuring of the analytical process is made up of the metaphor ‘analytical pattern work as hunting’, that is, finding a pattern through coaxing, tracking and trapping. To me, it is very important to clarify that the metaphor presented in the chapter connects to the analytical process and not to the quality of the resulting pattern. There is no right or true pattern; rather, there are many potential patterns depending on the use of the resulting pattern.