Symbolic Convergence Theory

Symbolic convergence theory (SCT), brainchild of Ernest G. Bormann, attempts to explain how communication can create and sustain group consciousness through the sharing of narratives or “fantasies.” Drawing on the observations of Harvard social psychologist Robert Bales, Bormann explored how the practice of cooperative fantasizing leads to enhanced group cohesion and, ultimately, the emergence of a group mind. He asserted that these communal narratives serve as the means by which group members can understand and articulate their shared social reality. Thus, sharing fantasies encourages the development of a convergent point of view, a shared understanding of the group's common experiences, as well as their identity as a community. Fantasy theme analysis was developed to detect the presence of group consciousness resulting from collaborative fantasizing and is the line of research from which this theory evolved.

Symbolic convergence begins when an individual “dramatizes” or shares a narrative in such a way as to arouse excitement in the rest of the group. A chain reaction results as the other members begin to build on the initial narrative, embellishing and extending the story in response to each other. This “chaining out” of the original dramatization generates the basic unit of symbolic convergence, a “fantasy theme.” According to Bormann, a fantasy theme is a cooperative interpretation of ideas or events that serves the needs of the group, therefore helping its members to understand and evaluate experiences in accordance with the group mind.

The presence of group consciousness allows and even encourages the group members to share multiple fantasy themes, enabling the group to continually evaluate new experiences in terms of established social knowledge. Moreover, group members will often unconsciously recycle the same basic plotline for each additional fantasy theme so as to ensure that subsequent narratives will be palatable to the group mind. Group consciousness also prompts group members to develop “symbolic cues,” or succinct references to previously shared fantasy themes. Bormann likened these cues to referencing an inside joke, where a word or phrase or even a gesture, although incomprehensible to an outsider, will arouse group members to respond in much the same way they did when the fantasy theme originated. Both the recurrence of fantasy themes and the creation of symbolic cues serve as evidence that symbolic convergence has occurred.

Since a given group can share multiple fantasy themes, these communal narratives can coalesce over time to form a broader worldview to which the group members subscribe, what Bormann called a “rhetorical vision.” A rhetorical vision has five main components: the “dramatis personae,” or the characters; the “plotline” or the action of the vision; the “scene,” or location of the action; the “sanctioning agent,” or that which legitimizes the action; and a “master analogue,” or purpose that guides the vision. Bormann identified three categories of master analogues: “pragmatic,” with a focus on practical purposes; “social,” emphasizing relationships; and “righteous,” guided by a higher cause.

Those who participate in a rhetorical vision comprise a “rhetorical community.” An individual can participate in multiple rhetorical visions and thus belong to multiple rhetorical communities. Membership in a rhetorical community can be formal or informal, brief or long term. Long-standing communities are often united not only by a rhetorical vision but also by a “saga,” a unifying understanding of the group's origins and founders, customs and values, purpose(s) and ultimate significance.

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