Coordinated Management of Meaning

The Conflict:

I'd give the example of me and my close friend, (anonymous). In the first days of the school year, we didn't know each other. We came from different schools. I'd use the concept of Mystery. According to colorado.edu, This concept describes anything in a communication interaction that is altogether unexplainable. We "clicked" in the first few days of school. We became the best of friends. But we, too had conflicts. We kept butting into each other's relationship and we gave what seemed rude but real "true that" advice. It came to the point of her spilling secrets to her man which I did not like. We had grudges against each other and it lead to temporary departing. I got really offended, plus other people got involved as well.

The Resolution:

We solved the conflict just by talking. I demanded for explanations, she did the same. After venting out what needed to be, we reconciled and acted like nothing had ever happened. BUT , unlike before, I now double think when telling her my secrets because she has the tendency to spill everything to her man. I could say my trust level with her has decreased and she would have to earn my trust to gain what ouyr relationship once was.

Cultivation Theory

For this assignment, we were asked to reflect on our current dispositions, beliefs, behavior, attitudes, and values and how any of these naturalized us.

Okay, so when I was a kid I watched "Mean Girls"

The movie shows how these girls 

maintain a social standing by being "bitchy" and mean all the time. They have a burn book to prove it. 

As I watched the movie, I remember realizing that I have to be mean, maarte and purposely pissing someone off to gain respect, friends, and to have a high social position -- so I did. I started saying "ewwww" in the smallest of details (even if there was nothing to be disgusted about), instead of gaining friends, I pushed them away. I had to act like this even if I wasn't. Eventually, the attitude became natural to me. I tend to be like a mean girl at times. Especially when I am not in the mood. I'll be frank and overly offensive but compared to when I was younger, I could control myself much more than before. :) *yeah \m/*

Uncertainty Reduction Theory

For this assignment, I decided to do the Uncertainty Reduction Theory which according to (http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Interpersonal%20Communication%20and%20Relations/Uncertainty_Reduction_Theory.doc/) defines it as "Uncertainty reduction theory (URT) was initially presented as a series of axioms (universal truths which do not require proof and theorems (propositions assumed to be true) which describe the relationships between uncertainty and several communication factors. URT was developed to describe the interrelationships between seven important factors in any dyadic exchange: verbal communication, nonverbal expressiveness, information-seeking behavior, intimacy, reciprocity, similarity, and liking. This theoretical perspective was originated by C.R. Berger and Calabrese in 1975; they drew on the work of Heider (1952).". We’re asked to retell the plot of a movie in which we see the application or relevance of the axioms inscribed in the theory.

Task #1: The movie

I chose the movie “Beastly” (2011) which starred Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Petyffer. The story was based on the Disney animated movie “Beauty and the Beast”. Going back… Beastly starts off with Kyle Kingson campaigning for his spot in the Green committee – a committee which cares about the environment but then as he goes on with his speech, the audience sees that he’s too conceited with himself and just talks about his looks, riches, and capabilities. They don’t mind though because as he said it “beautiful people get it better.” Kendra (played by Mary Kate Olsen) comes along and just vandalizes his posters and campaign materials which pisses off Kyle. Kyle thinks Lindy (played by Vanessa Hudgens) asked Kendra to do it but she defends herself otherwise. It was the first time Kyle talked to Lindy in 3 years after the vandalism occurrence.

Eventually, Kyle won as president in the elections and Lindy won as Treasurer. Kendra on the other hand did not like the outcome of the votes (pertaining to Kyle). He comes up to her and offers tickets to the Green committee dance. Blah blah blah then the date of the dance comes up and Kyle talked to Lindy for the 2^nd time – congratulating her and talks about some field trip. After a few minutes, Kendra shows up but then Kyle humiliates her. She whispers a spell to him then Kyle began getting dizzy and was hallucinating all over the place. Eventually, the new Green committee president had to leave his party and went straight to a balcony somewhere. Kendra shows up and reveals to him the hard core truth. She turned him into something ugly which was equivalent to how ugly he was inside. He had scars, cuts, and weird tattoos all over him. The deal was he had a year to find someone who’d love him and could see right through him though his face was as ugly as hell.

Kyle starts falling for Lindy and he possibly thought that she could break the spell bestowed upon him. He starts stalking her and following her everywhere. This incident happens where someone gets killed. Kyle witnessed what happened and Lindy’s dad (who too, was in the scene) asked him what he wanted for him to shut his mouth up about what happened. Kyle asks for Lindy. He asked for her so he could take care of her and just because he knew that she could cut the spell. Lindy was brought to Kyle’s apartment. At first, Lindy didn’t like the idea and just hated her life in there. She termed “Lindy is in hell” at her social networking site. So Kyle thought that for Lindy to like her, he’d give her gifts – extravagant, expensive ones. He started giving her Bvlgari jewellery, an over the top bag, etc. He was trying to buy her but then Zola (Kyle’s “helper” in the apartment) gives him tips and when he did the tips, he wins her over. As they spent time together, they get to know each other more and more each day and just became intimate and really close. To make the long story short, he wins her over and Lindy finally loves him and says it just in time before the spell “expires”.

Task # 2: Axioms

Taken from: (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Communication_Theory/Uncertainty_Reduction#Axioms_of_Uncertainty_Reduction_Theory)

Axioms of Uncertainty Reduction Theory

1. Given the high level of uncertainty present at the onset of the entry phase, as the amount of verbal communication between strangers increases, the level of uncertainty for each interactant in the relationship will decrease. As uncertainty is further reduced, the amount of verbal communication will increase.
2. As nonverbal affiliative expressiveness increases, uncertainty levels will decrease in an initial interaction situation. In addition, decreases in uncertainty level will cause increases in nonverbal affiliative expressiveness.
3. High levels of uncertainty cause increases in information seeking behavior. As uncertainty levels decline, information seeking behavior decreases.
4. High levels of uncertainty in a relationship cause decreases in the intimacy level of communication content. Low levels of uncertainty produce high levels of intimacy.
5. High levels of uncertainty produce high rates of reciprocity. Low levels of uncertainty produce low reciprocity rates.
6. Similarities between persons reduce uncertainty, while dissimilarities produce increases in uncertainty.
7. Increases in uncertainty level produce decreases in liking; decreases in uncertainty level produce increases in liking.

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Explanation:

Kyle and Lindy were complete strangers before, and as the elections came up, they had to talk about things. For their uncertainty to decrease, Kyle started congratulating Lindy on winning for treasurer. Therefore, the uncertainty decreased.

 Because they were complete strangers, Kyle wanted to get to know Lindy more. Even when e became a beast, he went the extra mile to know more about her. As they got to know each other better, they became more intimate with each other until their feelings for each other developed. (Application: Axioms 1, 2, 3, & 4)

(Movie cannot be applied to Axioms 5-7)

Altercasting Theory

There are two types of Altercasting Theories. Manded Altercasting & Tact Altercasting.

Manded Altercasting refers to how we tell people who they are and how they are supposed to be by making their existing role salient/obvious by placing others in a particular role, by attributing a new identity or role to someone, or by asking people to play a role. An example would be a teacher-student relationship.

When a teacher steps into the room, you automatically know that your place in the classroom is a student. You're there to listen and to hear the teacher out because he/she knows a lot more than you do. You cannot just change roles. 

Another example would be the family relationship.

Your mother is more superior than you and you cannot just answer her back. Your role is to respect and honor her because you are her daughter/son.

Tact Altercasting on the other hand refers to how we put ourselves as senders in a role that "evokes" a natural counter-role for the other. Examples would be people's standing in society.

A teacher is known to teach students and being role models to others.

If you see them drink alcohol even outside of school, it would just ruin their image to students.

Another example would be priests and pastors.

They are known for being religious and Christ-like people. If people would see them do something wrong or out of the ordinary, people could judge them and stop listening to them.

These are roles that society has implied unto us. Going beyond them would mean people either judging us or accepting that fact.

(Definition Source: http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Media,%20Culture%20and%20Society/Altercasting.doc/)

Listen Up

There was one time wherein my two friends who were a couple, were making out at a mall. There were so many people and I felt embarrassed but then I didn't want to interfere their "make-out" scene so I stayed out of it. I noticed people were looking and staring at them, but then again, I didn't want to interfere so I was distracting myself with other things. Out of the blue, Unconsciously, I said "Ang dami ng tao oh!" They took it as something else. They thought what I meant was for them to stop because there were too many people. They said that if I wanted to say something, I should have said it directly to them in the first place. I quote "Hindi yung magpaparinig ka pa." I didn't mean it that way though. I explained myself and fortunately, it got resolved.


Knowing the Speech Act Theory can help us ABCA students learn more on how a person talks and expresses himself/herself. A person can say a phrase (locutionary) and you may know what it meant, but there may be a hidden meaning to it (illocutionary). How a person would take effect on it is the perlocutionary act of the whole thing. Perlocutionary acts are external to the performance.