In a primary metaphor, the concept which is structured by virtue of a cognitive link with a primary source concept. Primary target concepts are relatively simple, phenomenologically real aspects of subjective experience, such as time, quantity, similarity, desire, intimacy, etc. They are held to constitute subjective evaluations or responses to sensory experience with respect to which they are correlated.

Accordingly they are held to be comprised of what is referred to as 'response content' (or sometimes 'subjective content').