- Hey there, welcome back Alex Lyon here.
And today, we're gonna talk about
symbolic convergence theory
and how it may pertain
to your group experience.
So let's get into the details.
So we got this theory from Ernest Bormann.
He first wrote about it in the
"Quarterly Journal of Speech"
in 1972 and he was interested
in how communication
helps create a group consciousness.
That's where the group starts to identify
and develop a shared identity.
And this theory describes
how groups identities develop
through what he called shared fantasies.
So sharing a fantasy transforms
a collection of individuals
into a cohesive group with a culture
and a group personality.
And by the way, the word fantasy
sometimes trips people up.
It doesn't mean something
that is pure fiction.
A lot of times these stories
are entirely accurate.
It's just that as we,
and based on reality,
but it's just that we
tell the stories in a way
that take on fantastical elements.
As we tell and retell stories,
sometimes we exaggerate
them and play them up a bit
as part of the enjoyment of
revisiting those stories.
You have probably experienced
little versions of this
when you've had inside jokes
with a group of people,
and you say a little joke,
maybe just even a few words about it
and someone else that wasn't
there when it happened
doesn't understand and you're like,
"Oh, you had to be there."
Stories about the groups past
often become these fantasies,
these shared stories.
And then when we're talking about
the group's past experiences in only a way
that those inside members would, "Get,"
you're probably getting into something
that would be called a fantasy theme.
So let's look at the next
concept called fantasy.
And again, these are ground
to reality and real events,
but sometimes we play them up.
So fantasies are creative and imaginative
shared interpretations
of real life events.
Fantasies are usually told as stories
that transport the group or
provide a momentary escape.
So we're doing our job
and then someone brings up
an old story and it's like a relief
and a kind of entertainment for the group
to collectively experience.
Fantasies usually become
a group interaction
where various members
jump in and participate
to tell that story.
So a fantasy theme is not me
as somebody as an individual
telling a story to the group.
It becomes a collective story.
So I might start it,
someone else might jump in,
someone else might finish it.
It's a collective group
telling of the story,
a revisiting of something
that happened in the past.
And I wanna make a note
here that fantasies
and these stories are not
off topic necessarily,
or really a waste of time.
In fact, they can create an
important group cohesion,
a kind of enjoyment,
and they can even clarify
what's important to the group
and what you all stand for.
So when I was in a band years
ago, we had many fantasies,
many collective stories
that we would tell,
like I might just have
to say to my brother
who was the guitar
player in the band, like,
"Oh, remember that gig we did in Boston."
And then everyone's like, "Oh my gosh,"
and we start to revisit all
of those things that happened.
Now we all know what happened.
We were there, but telling the story again
in a collective way
rebinds the group together
and reminds us of where we have come from.
There are a few other important concepts,
and one of them is called a fantasy theme.
And those are the stories that get told
and retold over time.
So those are the ones that
come up over and over again,
and you may have experienced this
when you go to hang out
with some old friends,
people will tell the old stories.
They just have a way of working their way
into the conversation and
everybody starts to chime in.
There's also something
called a fantasy chain,
and that's where you have a
string of these small stories
that have a common thread
and they become almost like a
real Hollywood or book story
where they have this
beginning, middle, and end.
There's conflict, heroes,
villains, and a plot.
And usually we'll notice this
when someone starts one story,
and you almost know that
it's gonna lead into
another related story that leads
into another related story.
And that's a fantasy chain.
What I think really helps you see these
and you know you're there
when you have a symbolic cue,
and that's a key word
or a phrase or a gesture
that triggers the fantasy theme.
So, like I mentioned, all I have to do
with my old band mates and say,
"Remember that gig in Boston,"
and that is the short little phrase,
and instantly we all know
exactly what you mean.
I hung out with a group of
friends through high school
and a lot of college
and one of them had a
challenging relationship.
And when it didn't work
out, he became miserable.
And so as groups of guys often do,
we would playfully make fun of him.
And we used to imitate this scene
from "A Streetcar Named
Desire" where the actor
is at the bottom of a fire escape
and he's yelling up to his
girlfriend that he loved,
"Stella, Stella."
So we kind of took that
seam and played with it
and we put his
ex-girlfriend's name in there.
And I'll just, it's not her
name, but I'll just pretend,
we used to just be all hanging out
and then someone would
scream out all of the sudden,
"Kathy, Kathy."
And my buddy would roll
his eyes, "Oh, here we go."
And everybody would jump
in and retell the story
of the ups and the downs
of their relationship.
And I'm telling you to this day,
if I get together with these friends,
even though it's decades later,
and someone just pretends
to yell out, "Kathy,"
we are all instantly transported there.
That one word is a symbolic
cue that triggers that.
And it really is a huge demonstration
of the kind of group cohesion you have
if the whole group recognizes
that shared fantasy
based upon that single word or phrase.
So to me, this symbolic convergence theory
is a really interesting one
and reminds me a lot of how
I have interacted in groups,
especially groups that
I've been in for awhile.
So question of the day, what
are your fantasy themes?
What are your symbolic cues
or triggers that you notice
in your group of friends or people at work
or groups that you have been in?
I would love to hear your
comments and your stories
about your groups below
about those fantasy themes.
And I look forward to reading them.
So thanks, and I will see you soon.
