# Collective meaning ## Short definition Collective meaning refers to meanings that are created, shared and sustained by groups, families, communities, cultures or wider social systems. ## Expanded definition Collective meaning is the shared understanding that develops between people through communication, relationship and repeated social practice. In CMM and systemic practice, meaning is not treated as something held only inside an individual mind. Meaning is coordinated between people. Families, professional networks, communities and cultures develop shared meanings about what counts as normal, dangerous, respectful, shameful, hopeful, problematic or possible. Collective meaning can support belonging, identity and cooperation. It can also maintain narrow or harmful stories when a group repeatedly coordinates around blame, stigma, silence or exclusion. Therapy can help people notice the collective meanings shaping a problem and consider whether new shared meanings could be created. ## Why this concept matters Collective meaning matters because many difficulties are sustained by shared interpretations. A family may collectively understand a young person as "attention-seeking". A school may collectively understand a parent as "hard to engage". A professional network may collectively understand risk in a way that leaves little room for family knowledge. When collective meanings shift, different responses become possible. This concept helps therapists work beyond individual insight and attend to the shared meanings that organise systems. ## Non-clinical example A workplace develops the collective meaning that asking for help shows weakness. Staff begin hiding uncertainty. When the group develops a different meaning, that asking early prevents mistakes, collaboration becomes easier. ## Clinical example A family collectively understands a parent's low mood as laziness. A therapist helps the family explore other meanings, including exhaustion, grief and loss of hope. As the collective meaning shifts, responses become less blaming and more supportive. ## Core insight Meaning is often created and maintained collectively. Changing shared meaning can change what a system does next. ## Questions before a session - What shared meaning has formed around this problem? - Who participates in maintaining this meaning? - Who benefits or suffers from the current meaning? - What alternative shared meanings may be possible? - What meanings are held by professionals, family members or community members? - What collective meaning would support dignity and change? ## Questions during a session - What does this situation mean to the family as a whole? - Do different people share the same understanding? - What meaning has become dominant? - Who sees it differently? - What meaning would be more useful to coordinate around? - How might the group begin living by that meaning? ## Questions after a session - What collective meaning became visible? - Did any shared meaning shift? - Were marginalised meanings invited in? - What new coordinated action became possible? - What professional meanings did I bring? - What collective meaning needs further exploration? ## Related epistemologies [[CMM epistemology]] [[Social constructionism]] [[Relational epistemology]] [[Communication epistemology]] [[Contextual epistemology]] ## Related schools and models [[CMM]] [[Systemic Therapy]] [[Collaborative Therapy]] [[Narrative Therapy]] [[Community Systemic Practice]] ## Related concepts [[Coordinating meaning]] [[Meaning-making]] [[Social worlds]] [[Cultural patterns]] [[Collective story development]] [[Dominant discourse]] [[Subjugated knowledge]] [[Relational responsibility]] [[Belonging]] ## Related methods [[Shared meaning exploration]] [[Coordinating meaning conversation]] [[Collective story development]] [[Community of concern practice]] [[Contextualising conversation]] ## Related techniques [[Coordinating meaning questions]] [[Meaning questions]] [[Stories lived vs stories told questions]] [[Witnessing questions]] ## Related pathways [[CMM pathway]] [[Narrative pathway]] [[Community systemic practice pathway]] ## Key theorists / contributors [[Barnett Pearce]] [[Vernon Cronen]] [[Kenneth Gergen]] [[Sheila McNamee]] [[David Denborough]] ## Key texts / references - Pearce, W. B., & Cronen, V. E. (1980). *Communication, Action, and Meaning: The Creation of Social Realities*. Praeger. - Pearce, W. B. (2007). *Making Social Worlds: A Communication Perspective*. Blackwell. - Gergen, K. J. (1999). *An Invitation to Social Construction*. Sage. - McNamee, S., & Gergen, K. J. (1999). *Relational Responsibility: Resources for Sustainable Dialogue*. Sage. - Denborough, D. (2008). *Collective Narrative Practice*. Dulwich Centre Publications. ## Notes / source material Collective meaning connects CMM, social constructionism and systemic practice. It helps practitioners ask how meanings are made between people and how shared meanings organise action.