Bormann, Ernest G.

(1926–)
Ernest G. Bormann is best known as the originator of symbolic convergence theory (SCT) and
its attendant method, fantasy theme analysis, which both explore how the sharing of narratives
or “fantasies” can create and sustain group consciousness. For Bormann, these communal
narratives encouraged group cohesion and fostered the development of a shared social reality
among group members. While his initial conception of symbolic convergence stemmed from
his research of small group communication, he argued that group consciousness can occur at
any level of communication, from small group to public to mass media. Thus, he identified
symbolic convergence as a general theory of communication.

Bormann received his bachelor's degree from the University of South Dakota in 1949,
graduating magna cum laude. By 1953, he had received both his master's and doctorate from
the University of Iowa. For the next 6 years, he taught briefly at the University of South
Dakota, Eastern Illinois University, and Florida State University. He began his long and
distinguished career at the University of Minnesota in 1959, where he is currently Professor
Emeritus in the Department of Speech Communication.

Bormann served as the president of the Central States Communication Association as well as
the director of Graduate Studies at the University of Minnesota. In addition, he has served as
an associate editor for the Central States Speech Journal, Communication Monographs and
the Quarterly Journal of Speech. He has received several awards, including those honoring
him for outstanding teaching, scholarship, service, and mentoring.

Throughout his extensive career, Bormann has authored numerous scholarly articles,
including several that sought to clarify and even defend symbolic convergence theory since its
inception in 1972. In a 1994 publication, he refuted the theory's most persistent criticisms,
namely that it borrows and needlessly relabels concepts from other theories and that its
application is limited to small group communication. In 2001, along with John F. Cragan and
Donald C. Shields, he published a retrospective look at the last three decades of symbolic
convergence research and development while speculating on its future applications.

Bormann has successfully applied symbolic convergence theory and fantasy theme analysis to
a variety of topics and issues such as inaugurals, campaigns, and even political cartoons. In a
case study of the Cold War paradigm, for example, he joined Cragan and Shields to identify
three stages in the life cycle of a rhetorical vision. In addition, he has published several books
addressing a range of topics, from interpersonal and small group communication to speech
communication. The Force of Fantasy, for example, is an extended case study of America's
attempts to restore the American Dream from the 17th to 19th centuries.

Arin Rose Dickerson

Further Readings
Bormann, E. G. Fantasy and rhetorical vision: The rhetorical criticism of social reality.
Quarterly Journal of Speech vol. 58 (1972). pp. 396–407
Bormann, E. G. Fantasy and rhetorical vision: Ten tears later. Quarterly Journal of Speech
vol. 68 (1982). pp. 288–305

Bormann, E. G. , Cragan, J. F. , and Shields, D. C. In defense of symbolic convergence theory:

A look at the theory and its criticisms after two decades. Communication Theory vol. 4
(1994). pp. 259–294

Bormann, E. G. , Cragan, J. F. , and Shields, D. C. Three decades of developing, grounding

and using symbolic convergence theory. Communication Yearbook vol. 25 (2001). pp. 271–
313

Entry Citation:
Dickerson, Arin Rose. "Bormann, Ernest G. (1926–)." Encyclopedia of Political
Communication. 2007. SAGE Publications. 6 Mar. 2009. <http://www.sage-
ereference.com/politicalcommunication/Article_n52.html>.