The coordinated management of meaning states that, “person-in-conversation co-construct their own social realities and are simultaneously shaped by the worlds they create.” When this is looked at from a practical theory standpoint by Pearce and Cronen, it is said to make life better for an individual in the world. They think a practical communication theory should be able to help one understand bad communication skills, understand particular moments in a conversation, and it should encourage ways to make a better environment for interaction. The strange loop, meaning an unwanted repetitive communication pattern, is sometimes used to help describe the behavior in this theory.
For example, in the movie, The Clique, Massie belittles her new neighbor, Claire, because of the non-designer clothes she wears. In the pool scene attached, Claire explains to Massie’s three best friends that she is wearing a bathing suit from a designer that none of them have heard of before. Thinking her bathing suit is adequate and up to their standards, they decide playing around in the pool and being nice to her is considered okay. Once Massie shows up and explains that Claire’s suit is nothing short of ordinary they begin the process of being mean to her again. This cycle is repeated multiple times throughout the entire film, but in the end the girls come to an agreement. They realize the kind of clothes one wears shouldn’t make a difference when it comes to friendship.
This is just like the example provided in the book about the family therapy session. The figure-eight pattern in the diagram on page sixty eight is exactly like the pattern in the behavior shown by the girls in the movie.
