An Associative Complex strategy has a central theme but the bonds still change for each member.
Associative Complex: The main difference between the Chain and an Associative Complex is that for the latter, an object serves as an anchor for all of the other related objects. Everything is matched to the anchor, but still the bonds keep changing between each pair.
For example, a bird (the anchor) might be associated with a worm, which they love to eat. It is also connected with an egg, which they are prone to lay; with Aunt Sally because they have two legs; with a bat because they can fly; and with a pillow, because they have feathers etc.
Little Edward may form this concept and call it "eggs." For her, the bird is called an egg, the bat is called egg, Aunt Sally is an egg, etc. Mother may wonder why, when she says, "Bring Daddy an egg" little Edward, brings in a squirmy little worm.
Actually my son was, a teenager when he did that, so he may have had some sub agenda there.