ABSTRACT
Developed by Bormann, symbolic convergence theory rests on the premise that ideological themes and fantasies are shared through a group, strengthening or creating common bonds. Groups create meaning by interpreting shared experiences into symbols, and these symbols, in turn, reinforce the group’s ideas. This occurs through commonplace conversation, stories, and rituals in which group members participate. Fantasies are “creative and imaginative interpretation of events that fulfills a psychological or rhetorical need.” SCT essentially addresses how and why group identities are constructed and how the resultant shared consciousness assigns meaning within the group. Core principles of SCT are reflected in ISIS’s attempts to shape reality through its rituals as well as its online publications. SCT is the synthesis of a thematic narrative through communication, particularly within groups. The group can affect the reality that ISIS recruits experience. Likewise, these recruits can affect the shared reality of the terrorist group. Ultimately, ISIS recruits become more resilient for waging and upholding jihad (holy war). Those shared group fantasies give them direction and a sense of belonging to the jihadist world.
