Ernest Bormann
Group and Public Communication—Group Decision Making
Mapping the Territory
Theory Overview (7th Edition)
Abstracts appear in Appendix A of the text
Sharing common fantasies transforms a collection of individuals into a cohesive group. Symbolic convergence occurs when group members spontaneously create fantasy chains that display an energized, unified response to common themes. A fantasy theme analysis across groups can reveal a rhetorical vision that contains motives to enact the joint fantasy. (Rhetorical and socio-psychological traditions)
NOTE: Bormann’s theory is used as a case study in Division One (Overview) of the text. Otherwise, it would appear in Divsion Three, Group and Public Communication.