overanalogizing

Overanalogizing is the tendency to rely on analogies to an excessive degree, especially when making arguments, explanations, or judgments. It occurs when similarities between two domains are emphasized beyond their relevant structural or causal connections, or when key differences are ignored. The result can be persuasive yet misleading reasoning, as the audience is invited to transfer properties from a familiar domain to a less understood one without sufficient justification.

Causation and explanation often rely on analogy; however, overanalogizing can distort evaluation by masking disanalogies such as scale, context, or underlying mechanisms. In rhetoric, vivid analogies can simplify complex topics but may encourage superficial understanding or polarized positions if used fallaciously.

Common causes include cognitive load reduction, preference for narrative coherence, and confirmation seeking, all of which favor familiar frames over critical comparison. In science and education, overanalogizing may hinder hypothesis testing when students or researchers assume analogous processes where they do not exist.

Distinguishing a productive analogy from overanalogizing hinges on evidence of domain similarity and explicit acknowledgment of disanalogies. Skepticism toward intuitive parallels and reliance on multiple lines of evidence can mitigate the effect.

See also: analogy, false analogy, metaphor, cognitive bias.