Symbolic convergence theory, often known as fantasy-theme analysis, is a well-developed theory by Ernest Bormann, John Cragan, and Donald Shields that explains how individuals in groups come to share a common reality through communication. The starting point for the theory is that individuals' images of reality are guided by stories that reflect how things are believed to be. These stories, or fantasy themes, are created through symbolic interaction within small groups. They spread from person to person and from group to group, forming a shared worldview. In essence, conversations create and sustain the narratives that shape a group's reality.
Fantasy themes are the building blocks of the drama—or view of reality—that a group creates. Each fantasy theme includes characters, plotlines, scenes, and a sanctioning agent. The characters may be heroes, villains, or supporting figures. The plotline is the action or development of the story. The scene is the setting, including the location, environment, and sociocultural context. The sanctioning agent is the source that legitimizes the story, whether that is an authority figure, a common belief in a higher principle, or even a shared enemy.
Fantasy themes that become highly familiar over time are called fantasy types—stock situations told repeatedly within a group. These retold stories often relate to personal, group, or community achievements and can take the form of sagas. Families, organizations, and nations all have sagas. Common examples include the story of George Washington and the cherry tree, the tale of John Hancock's oversized signature on the Declaration of Independence, or the story of Bill Gates leaving Harvard to develop what became Microsoft.
Imagine a group of executives meeting together. Before, during, and after the meeting, they share stories with one another. Each story includes characters, a plot, a setting, and a sanctioning agent—often the company itself. Through telling and retelling fantasy types, the group reinforces cohesion and a shared understanding.
Fantasy themes are part of larger and more complex narratives known as rhetorical visions. A rhetorical vision is the composite view of reality that a group constructs through its characters, plots, actions, and sanctioning agents. Once a rhetorical vision becomes well established, members no longer need to retell every detail. Instead, they can use symbolic cues—short triggers that instantly evoke the whole narrative. This is similar to an inside joke. An executive might say, "That's just like the Survivor episode," and everyone laughs, knowing the full story behind the reference. Likewise, when a group of friends reconnects, simple phrases like "French Pete" or "Fifth Floor Boynton" can instantly conjure shared memories, even though those phrases mean nothing to outsiders.
Most rhetorical visions fall into one of three categories: righteous, social, or pragmatic. Righteous visions are grounded in moral principles. Social visions depend primarily on group interaction. Pragmatic visions emphasize practical outcomes and effectiveness.
Sharing fantasy themes creates a rhetorical vision, which performs a consciousness-creating function. It helps group members become aware of a specific way of understanding the world. Once enough people adopt the vision, it spreads widely and begins performing a consciousness-sustaining function—maintaining loyalty, commitment, pride, and a sense of community. Adopting a rhetorical vision means embracing the values, themes, and goals embedded within it. These visions reflect deep structures that influence how people interpret reality. For example, the popular story of Bill Gates leaving Harvard to build Microsoft reinforces themes of ingenuity, ambition, and success.
Symbolic convergence theory continues to be widely used. For instance, Alaina Zanin and her colleagues studied the rhetorical visions of an all-female club rugby team. They found that two central visions—belonging and triumph—were created through the chaining of fantasy themes. However, these visions did not always align. There was an ongoing tension between the desire for community and the desire for competitive success, requiring constant negotiation and reconstruction of fantasy themes. This illustrates that meaning convergence is not always smooth or consistent. Groups contain multiple identities, and the tensions among them shape how rhetorical visions develop.
The foundational theories in this section highlight essential elements of group communication: how task and relational communication function, how groups develop and make decisions, how group inputs influence processes and outcomes, and how members build synergy through shared understanding. The next sections expand on these core concepts in group communication theory.