Theory of Coordinated Meaning Management

The theory of coordinated sense management was developed by Barnett W. Pearce and Vernon E. Cronen in the mid -1970s , which allows it to be attributed to one of the first theories created within the framework of direct communication, but not introduced in her from other scientific disciplines. The theory has roots in such areas of scientific research as social constructionism , pragmatism , rhetoric , symbolic interactionism , ethnomethodology . ^[1] Theory is the result of rethinking and synthesizing many modern concepts of understanding communication. The idea of ​​the possibility of social construction of meanings was the result of a postmodern approach to meaning as a result of interaction between authors and audiences in the framework of both interpersonal and institutional communication. According to B. Pearce, communication is a collective, social management of meaning, in which the objects of the social world are not external objects and entities , but a consequence of social actions and reconstruction of meanings in the course of communication. The methods of the theory are constantly being improved by its authors, in particular, one of its authors B. Pierce. TKUS develops mainly within the framework of the Western scientific paradigm, while in domestic science it is mentioned only in a few review publications and study guides on sociology and communication theory . TKUS is at the final stage of institutionalization and has the potential for further development. In TKUS there is a developed problem field and an original categorical apparatus, as well as recognition from both the foreign and domestic scientific community.

One of the main concepts in TKUS are social worlds - entities that are created by individuals in the process of communication. Social worlds are diverse, volatile, and open to change. The social world is related to the individual in the same way that the environment is related to the thing. The main approach in TKUS is a communicative perspective, when the researcher's eyes are aimed directly at communication, and not through it. This is due to the fact that B. Pearce considered communication not only a means of transmitting information and one of the types of human activity - he believed that communication is the basis of all human existence . Key provisions of TKUS:

• A look at social groups as clusters of individuals for whom communication is the meaning of life ;
• Attention not only to the episode of communication, but also to the history and perspective of the relationship;
• The study of communication as the implementation of one of an unlimited number of opportunities;
• Objects and events of the social worlds are considered as “local” conditions of more universal communication processes created by people collectively and individually;
• Communication has a significant impact on the quality and living conditions of people, as well as on the social worlds around them;
• The language used by the communicants is also fateful - it selects some objects and phenomena and ignores others, expresses an attitude to what is being discussed, coordinates human actions, etc.

Concepts of the theory of coordinated sense management:

• Coherence - the coordination of social actions and statements;
• Coordination - a mechanism for organizing narratives;
• Mystery - the limited possibilities of a balanced and verified study of narratives and how to link them.

The formation of meanings in TKUS is investigated in accordance with the original tools and developed communication models. The elements of B. Pierce's communication models are the personality of individuals, the episode, quality, and characteristics of relationships with other communicants. There are several such models:

• Hierarchical (hierarchical) model - the subordination of contexts in the process of social interaction, characterized by efficiency and static;
• Serpentine - the unfolding of events that preceded and followed communication, as these events can have a great impact on individuals;
• Petal - a reflection of the fact that a person in any communication situation is in more than one dialogue: he addresses other audiences (in the center of the model is a unit of speech, “petals” are dialogs in which an individual is located);
• The model of the discrepancy between the stories told and lived is a reflection of the relationship between the real and the subjective in communication ^[2] .

There are also several varieties of the so-called story nodes. Nodes characterize the relationship between text and context. The following story nodes exist:

• “Magic knots”, where the text and context are mutually determined;
• “Dangerous nodes” when the text and context make sense of each other;
• “Strange nodes” when text and context transform each other ^[1] .

The main tool in TKUS is the LUUUTT model, aimed at interpreting the grammar of narrated stories. The name is associated with six existing types of stories and narrative-related processes:

1. Stories Lived (lived stories) - jointly constructed patterns implemented with the participation of other subjects of communication;
2. Unknown Stories
3. Untold Stories (untold stories);
4. Unheard Stories (unheard stories);
5. Stories Told (storytelling) - explanatory patterns used by people to understand the meaning of lived stories;
6. Storytelling (storytelling) ^[3] .

At the center of the model is the storytelling itself, to which B. Pierce relates and, for example, scientific activity , since it is carried out through communication. “People are born in stories; the social and historical context constantly encourages them to tell and remember the stories of certain events, and leave others without stories. ” Communication practices are closely related to its type. Pierce distinguishes three of these types:

• Monocultural, where representatives of the same community communicate;
• Ethnocentric - community members are divided into “friends” and “strangers”;
• Cosmopolitan - communicants live in different, sometimes opposite, social realities.

The toolkit proposed by the authors of TKUS provides opportunities for targeted modeling of episodes of communication, minimizing unpredictability, and, as a result, influence on meanings. Due to the presence of universal explanatory schemes, studies based on the theory of coordinated management of meaning formation show high efficiency both at the microsociological and macrosciological levels. Currently, TKUS is actively used in the study of intercultural communication , public discourse and interpersonal interaction , as well as in the analysis of marketing communication, in the search for opportunities for modeling meaning-making within the framework of conflict science . In addition, attempts were made to unite the TKUS and the structuralization of E. Giddens . At the present stage, within the framework of TKUS, the concept of a hierarchy of meanings in communication is being developed, and the foundations of social communication are also explained.

Despite the theoretical and practical value of the concept of B. Pierce and V. Cronen, some of its provisions are hypothetical in nature and require further development and verification. In particular, the thesis of the uniqueness of each interaction situation narrows the possibilities of developing universal systematic approaches to the analysis of meaning formation. The limited applied potential of KUS is, first of all, in the insufficient development of prognostic capabilities: the application of the approaches developed in this theory allows us to analyze the current situation, but does not provide sufficient tools to identify scenarios for the further development of interaction.

• Communication theory