Spoon theory, for example (8)
I believe the answer is:
metaphor
'spoon theory for example' is the definition.
(I know that spoon theory is a metaphor)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for metaphor that I've seen before include "Common figure of speech" , "Captain of industry, eg" , "Figure of speech - allegory" , "Figure of speech for home trap" , "Allegorical figure" .)