Image from male heart op changes (8)
I believe the answer is:
metaphor
'image' is the definition.
(I know that metaphor is a type of image)
'male heart op changes' is the wordplay.
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'changes' is an anagram indicator.
'heart'+'op'='heartop'
'heartop' anagrammed gives 'etaphor'.
'm'+'etaphor'='METAPHOR'
'from' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for metaphor that I've seen before include "To hamper, badly, a figure of speech" , "Figure of speech that directly indicates a likeness" , "Top harem is a figure of speech" , "That's not to be taken literally" , "Common figure of speech" .)