Analogies for Someone Stuck in Their Comfort Zone or Resistant to Change
July 24, 2015 3:14 PM   Subscribe

What are some good analogies to inspire someone who's stuck in their comfort zone or are resistant to change to embrace an open mindset towards the idea of positive change/transformation?

What are some good analogies to inspire someone who's stuck in their comfort zone or are resistant to change to indeed embrace changes that would lead to positive outcomes? (Or prevent negative outcomes—they could go either way, though I see prevention as a positive outcome.)

I recall there being one in particular where some sort of animal is in danger or at risk of death, but not willing to escape because they're comfortable where they're at. Is there such an analogy, or am I just thinking of the scene in The Never Ending Story where the horse doesn't want to get out of the quicksand?

What are some other analogies, animal and non-animal related? Context could be anything... an individual resistant to change, or a leader being resistant to change in the context of his/her team or company. The more analogies the merrier, even weak ones might inspire another hive-mind'er to think of another good one they might not have otherwise thought of. So let's flood the page with analogies.
posted by purefusion to Writing & Language (14 answers total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for, but what about the parable of the baby bird needing to get pushed out of the nest? It fears falling because it has never flown, and the parent bird must forcibly push it out of the nest to get it to spread its wings.
posted by Otis the Lion at 3:35 PM on July 24, 2015 [3 favorites]


Also, thinking about transformation, there has to be something relevant about butterflies out there.
posted by Otis the Lion at 3:38 PM on July 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Not totally on point, but I did think of Pierre as a fable for asserting one's desire.

Googling "resistance to change examples" (without quotes) yielded this article about the taxi vs Uber debates happening now:Taxis vs Uber

Here is a study about fruitflies failing to adapt.
posted by mermaidcafe at 3:45 PM on July 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


Stockholm Syndrome?
posted by monospace at 4:01 PM on July 24, 2015


"It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change."
posted by gemutlichkeit at 4:01 PM on July 24, 2015 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: I found a blurb in the book "You Are Better Than Your Best" that's pretty interesting, if not entirely on topic of "change" though "comfort zone" could be argued. Still, it's worth adding to the mix, here.
I was watching a documentary related to the great white shark and discovered an amazing revelation. This particular breed of shark must maintain a constant forward swimming motion to breathe, or they will die.
Though it does beg the question, how do great white sharks sleep? Usually in a current of some form, but I digress. Sharks must constantly press on! Good business analogy.
posted by purefusion at 4:07 PM on July 24, 2015


The only thing that comes to my mind is the old chestnut about capturing rhesus monkeys by putting some sort of bait inside a hollowed-out coconut that was anchored in place. The monkey would stick his hand into the coconut and be unable to remove his hand without letting the food go. And the monkeys were too stubborn or greedy to let the food go in order to save themselves.

But I can't see a client (or whoever you're trying to motivate toward change) finding this a very flattering or inspiring analogy. In the hopes that you're really casting about for a way to get someone off the dime, I can tell you what works best for me when I'm coaching someone. I make a point of alerting them that they'll know they're doing it right if things feel just a *bit* uncomfortable because, by definition, leaving their comfort zone will necessarily feel uncomfortable. The people I use this with are apparently thrill-seeking enough to find the challenge enticing.
posted by DrGail at 4:07 PM on July 24, 2015 [2 favorites]


I think you're thinking of the boiling frog analogy:
The boiling frog is an anecdote describing a frog slowly being boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to threats that occur gradually, such as creeping state surveillance...

The story's common metaphorical use is a caution for people to be aware of even gradual change lest they suffer eventual undesirable consequences.
posted by jaguar at 4:08 PM on July 24, 2015 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: The boiling frog analogy did come to mind actually, and it is a pretty good one that I did consider. But not quite what I was thinking of when the horse came to mind. But again, that could've been purely pop culture influence, not sure. I also wanted to explore any alternate options.

Non animal analogies would be good too.
posted by purefusion at 4:19 PM on July 24, 2015


You might be thinking of the Pit of Despair, though that isn't about being too comfortable to be bothered. It is about being too psychologically defeated and trained into learned helplessness.

Learned helplessness might be a useful idea though. Sometimes it isn't so much that we are comfortable as that doing something seems real intimidating and we have been burned and so on and people just learn that not rocking the boat is the least worst option.
posted by Michele in California at 4:23 PM on July 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


There was a parable that was current when the Web was first introduced, and they were trying to push innovative uses (beyond just an enlarged business card). It went: a family of cave people emerge from their cave for the first time, and there in front of them is a shiny new [fancy car], gas in the tank and keys in the ignition. They look it over, discuss it, and decide to use it as a new cave.
posted by mmiddle at 5:33 PM on July 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


A few quotes I like:

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anaïs Nin

"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." - John Augustus Shedd
posted by veery at 6:33 PM on July 24, 2015 [7 favorites]


Mod note: A few comments deleted. Quick reminder: Ask Metafilter isn't a general discussion space, but specifically for answering the posted question, so we need to stick to the request for analogies here. Thanks.
posted by taz (staff) at 11:42 PM on July 25, 2015


Apparently Kodak invented the digital camera but was very comfortable selling film and ignored the new camera. This was not an adequate strategy, long-term.
posted by clew at 12:59 AM on January 8, 2016


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