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Altercasting theory

Theorypedia on December 23, 2009
angel, devil
Creative Commons
The angel and the devil. First created by Milton in 'Paradise Lost' this pair is a common form of tact altercasting .
Altercasting is a theory of emotional persuasion where an actor/agent forces an individual into a social role to generate a desired set of actions or beliefs. It has two forms: manded and tact-based.
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Manded altercasting is the act of telling someone who they are or supposed to be through the use of an example.  For example, "You, being a Democrat, should support abortion rights across the board."

Here, a role is assigned -- a Democrat -- and with it comes the strong social expectation that the person being assigned this role will act 'like a Democrat' and support all levels of abortion rights.  This form of altercasting is particularly effective when a disparity of authority exists between the agent and the recipient.

Tact altercasting occurs when we take on the role of 'sender' to evoke the counter-role in the other person. The duality creates an implied position for the reciever and can be a very powerful tool of control and persuasion. Tact altercasting pairs include, expert-ignorant, helper-dependent, sane-insane, and scapegoat-sinner.

Altercasting is a huge driver behind much of advertising, especially health-related advertising.

Altercasting works because;

  • the social role concept is a powerful driver of individual behavior
  • research shows individuals will easily accept a social role when offered; and, perhaps most important,
  • it is relatively easy to construct a role that will trap a person into a course of action.

 

Last updated December 23 2009, 1:09 PM EST

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