The coordinated management of meaning theory, also known as the “CMM” stated as an interpretive theory that, “person-in-conversation co-construct their own social realities and are shaped by the worlds they create.” When looked at by Pearce and Cronen from a practical theory point of view, they see the CMM theory as a way to make communication better for an individual in the world. One of part of the CMM is the idea of reflexive meaning which is “our actions have effects that bounce back and affect us”.

The Coordinated Management of Meaning theory finds its roots in interaction/conversation. The theory states that through the use of language and communication, participants co-construct their own realities. The theory has applications among practical, interpretive, and critical theory.

One way that CMM could be viewed within a practical level is among the advertising industry. The conversation that occurs between the ad itself and the viewer can evoke certain reactions depending on the use of certain language, tone, or non-verbals. Through the use of certain words/certain kind of language, advertising and the viewers can construct their own realities which can elicit certain responses from the viewers of ads.

For example, many advertising agencies utilize “shame appeals” as a way to motivate potential customers. Take for instance, weight loss medication, the advertising agency may attempt to create a new reality for the viewer (you’re fat, you’re unhealthy, you’re gonna die young, you’re going to be single for ever). The shame of the viewer’s “new reality” motivates them to act in a way that the advertising agencies predicts (purchases, subscriptions, etc).

The coordinated management of meaning theory states that we co-construct our own realities. These realities that we create have a direct affect on our afterlife. Pearce and Cronen see the CMM theory as a practical theory that is used to communicate more effectively. Creating your own social reality today is in direct correlation with our actions and realities tomorrow. Reflexivity, which means that our actions have effects that bounce back and affect us, is an example of that correlation. In the movie “Mean Girls” the main character Regina George is the leader of a group of snobby girls. She was a liar and was deceiving all of her friends. As a consequence, she was run over by a yellow school bus. That is the process of Reflexivity.

Coordinated Management of Meaning as an interpretive theory has four different examples of ways to define it. One way is called reflexivity, which is when “our actions have effects that bounce back and affect us.” In the text, an example about pollution was used. If we don’t recycle, we are actually harming ourselves since we have to breathe in the air that we polluted. This is the same concept as communication. If we pollute the air with mean phrases, or act cruelly towards someone, in the end these actions will bounce back and affect us.
To depict this theory, I chose a scene from the movie, Mean Girls. In this scene, two of the main characters, Regina George and Cady Heron, start fighting in the street outside their school. This is more of a one sided fight because Regina is the one who is yelling at Cady. Regina tells Cady how everyone thinks she is a “homeschooled jungle freak” and calls her other very mean names. However, Regina isn’t even able to finish her sentence because she gets run over by a bus. Even though this is a very extreme example, I thought this scene fit well with the reflexivity process since Regina’s actions and cruel words bounce back around and affect her instantly.

Mean Girls scene

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3W-FSxNDRg