Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) Rules Theory

Question 1

hierarchy of meaning

Answer 1

meaning and how we interpret things has multiple levels and each level is contextualized

Question 2

content

Answer 2

lowest level of meaning

Question 3

speech act

Answer 3

the action emphasized by the specific speech

Question 4

episode

Answer 4

recurring routine of interaction that is structured by rules and boundaries

Question 5

relationships

Answer 5

the somewhat scripted ways we interact with particular others

Question 6

autobiographies

Answer 6

an individuals view of himself that shapes and is shaped by communication

Question 7

cultural patterns

Answer 7

a common understanding of speech acts, episodes, relationships, and autobiographies that is shared by particular social groups

Question 8

rules

Answer 8

allow us to make sense of social interactions and guide our communication so that we can coordinate meaning with others

Question 9

constitutive rules

Answer 9

define what counts as what

-hugging kissing =signs of affection

Question 10

regulative rules

Answer 10

tell us when it is appropriate to do certain things and what we should do next in an interaction

Question 11

logical force

Answer 11

felt obligation to act

-what we should do or say based on our understandings of the episode, speech act, relationship

Question 12

strange loops

Answer 12

internal conversations that causes individuals to become trapped in destructive patterns of thinking

Question 13

critical assessment of CMM

Answer 13

• no clear meaning of rule: is it observable or not

- too broad of scope: tries to explain the whole universe and rules are different across cultures