ALTERCASTING

THEORY
 ALTERCASTING
= is a theory created by EUGENE WEINSTEIN and PAUL
DEUTSCHBERGER in 1963. The Theory relies on the concept of
persuation. The goal of altercasting is to project an identity, ( to be assumed
by other(s) with whom one is in interaction), which is congruent with one’s
own goals. Because of altercasting, it is used frequently in advertising and
health promotion. The psychological, societal, and unnoticed manipulation;
an individual’s likelihood of playing out a specific social role is more
inclined to happen.
ASSUMPTIONS AND KEY DIFFERENCES

• People can be persuaded by altercasting because it targets both the social

role and ego of a person, which are two of the most crucial and
fundamental elements of day to-day life. Furthermore, altercasting can be
positive or negative and still stimulate similar effects.
 TWO SUBGROUPS OF
ALTERCASTING
•MANDED ALTERCASTING
• AND
•TACT ALTERCASTING
 MANDED ALTERCASTING

• Is when new existing role is made more prominent and told directly to
people.
• Examples: you as a mother you should do like this and like that…..
 TACT ALTERCASTING
• is more passive way in forcing people to accept certain roles. This is
when we tend to act in a certain ways that could trigger others to make a
specific role.
• Examples: when someone tend to be needy, another person is forced to be
generous and caring.
• When a group of kids is in chaos, one of them is forced to assume the role
of a leader.
 DIMENSIONS
• There are six processes that can be combined to create a successful altercasting,
under both subgroups. The ego in each tactic is the individual induced into
manipulation. While the alter is the idea/ role one wants to enforce.
• 1.)Structural Distance: the physical proximity of the alter idea in a regard to the
Ego.For the majority of individuals, a closer distance will promote more alter
influence.
• 2.)Evaluative Distance: the more authoritative qualities or dominance an alter
has; the easier it is to exert influence over the Ego.
• 3.)Emotional Distance: the alter cast into a role in which the role is
presumed to involved with an Ego’s feelings, needs, and everyday
concerns. This plays deep into the physical nature of the mind.
• 4.)Support vs. Support Seeking: there are two cases here, either that the
alter is in an identity requiring Ego’s help or assistance or, at the other
extreme being required to give aid and comport to Ego. In the former
manipulation into a certain role is more common. Self- presentation and
altercasting clearly merge on this dimension.
• 5.)Interdependence vs. Authonomy: the extent to which Ego project alter
as being tied to him by bonds of common fate, perspective. Or
concurrence of interests.
• 6.)Degree of Freedom Allowed Alter: the range of behaviour Ego allows
alter within the encounter. Each action is ultimately directed at narrowing
alter’s choice of responces so as to increase the probability of eliciting the
task response.
 IMPACT ON SOCIETY
• Altercasting message is important to study, not only because they are
prevalent in our society, but also because altercasting messages rely social
psychological construct of social roles. With a free market we are
pummeled with advertising daily, not all altercasting messages are driven
this way, but a vast majority are used as advertising. As a society we are
impost as 5,000 advertising a day. By no means are all of these directly
connected to altercasting, yet a majority of advertiser are using sneaky
tactics to sell products.
 IMPACT ON THE MIND
The mind fills in the roles we play by many factors; especially by the products we own.
Behavior is subjected and case-by-case; the reasoning behind why we do something is
still being developed. However. Altercasting has been shown to have massive effects
on behavior change. If is behavior is changing, a link to psychological diseases like
schizophrenia or multiple illnesses.
Altercasting is a subgroup to the role theory, Some roles are naturally absorbed into a
person’s identity, while others are influenced and pressured to arise. The manipulation
factor is contributed through altercasting. With altercasting, the manipulation of factors
(positive or negative) must be present for certain roles to 0ccur.
• Once accepted by individuals, roles exert a variety of social pressures on
them to make certain that the roles are carried out.People must act in
accordance with roles to maintain a positive image and sustain the
interaction. Accordingly Altercasting may function by capitalizing on our
reliance on general social roles as a means to gain compliance.
• Altercasting is the strategy frequent used in advertising and health
promotion, for persuading people by forcing them in a social role, so that
they will be inclined to behave according to that role.