coordinated management of meaning
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Ten Things You Should Know: The Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) Theory
1. CMM is a practical theory
Founders Cronen and Pearce
CMM as a Practical Theory
CMM was originally an interpretive theory of the social and behavioral sciences
CMM next emphasized its place as a critical theory of social behavior and culture
CMM has now developed into what its founders consider a “practical theory,” a theory which aims to help make life better for real people in the real world
2. CMM has many real-world applicationsCMM is often used to inform and improve those working in the fields of therapy, mediation, counseling, family communication, health advocacy
3. Communication is constitutive and reality is constructed
“I REALLY DO BELIEVE WE CREATE THE WORLD WE LIVE IN, AND THAT WORLD CREATES US.”
-W. BARNETT PEARCE
CMM theory teaches that language does not merely
describe an objective, external reality; rather,
language and communication take part
in actually creating reality. In this way,
communication constitutes and creates reality through social
interactions.
4. CMM hinges on three main facets
CoherencePeople can interpret things, particularly others’ stories, in the same way.
Coordination Collaboration, particularly the correspondence of individuals’ stories lived, is vital to communication.
MysteryThere are things in life that are not wholly objective or measurable. Communication is subjective and subtle.
6. Coherence requires the use of hierarchical communication
elements•Content
•Speech Acts
•Episodes
•Relationships
•Self-Concept
•Culture
7. Coordination focuses on the power of story
Stories Lived Co-constructed and co-
performed
Actions
Limited by physical reality
Stories Told Individually created to
interpret, analyze, or reconcile stories lived
Narrative
Imaginative
Star Wars, According to a Three Year Old
8. Meaning management results from story tension
Stories lived and stories told (as well as stories left untold) are entirely connected but remain in tension with each other. The management of meaning is what we do to fit our stories together, and then to fit them with the
stories of other individuals.
9. Mystery allows cosmopolitan
communication
Because of its inherent mystery, communication according to CMM theory is cosmopolitan and accepts pluralism.
Cosmopolitan communication is coordination with other individuals who may have different ideas, values, and backgrounds without one party trying to change the other.
10. Ethical Derivative of
CMM: Dialogic Ethics
If we each contribute to another’s social
construction of reality, how then should we
properly interact with one another?
Dialogue acts as a synonym for ethical
communication when we communication with each other as human beings, not objects by which to create reality. Thus, it is
not only a morally appropriate act, but a way
to discover more about our reality.