Symbolic Frame:
What is most important about any event is not what happened but what it means.
Activity and meaning are loosely coupled: events have multiple meanings because people interpret experience differently.
Most of life is ambiguous or uncertain – what happened, why it happened, or what will happen next are all puzzles.
High levels of ambiguity and uncertainty undercut rational analysis, problem solving, and decision making.
In the face of uncertainty and ambiguity people create symbols to resolve confusion, increase predictability, provide direction, and anchor hope and faith.
Many events and processes are more important for what is expressed than what is produced. They form cultural tapestry of secular myths, rituals, ceremonies, and stories that help people find meaning, purpose, and passion.