[1] Short words or phrases such as "my country," "old glory" "American Dream," "family values," are all condensation symbols because they conjure a specific image within the listener and carry "intense emotional and effective power.
Doris Graber identified three main characteristics of condensation symbols, as they: Considering the phrase "American Dream," the image that tends to come to mind is a successful, self-made American individual who has worked hard in order to obtain a life of financial security, with occasional luxury and minimal privilege, even if the sociological reality varies widely by region, class, place, and time.
[5] Within the field of rhetorical criticism, David Kaufer and Kathleen Carley discuss condensation symbols and their function within political discourse.
The authors devise six categories (buzzwords, pregnant place-holders, emblems, standard symbols, allusions, and stereotypes) to determine which held the highest rhetorical taxonomy.
They concluded by assuming that "connectivity" by various means allows the arguer to conjure emotional symbols in associational patterns through these six devices.