A client whose counselor pushes the alloplastic viewpoint is likely to believe the counselor is doing what?

• A. Attacking the system
• B. Healing the mind
• C. Supporting the status quo
• D. Ignoring the problem

Answer: (A)

Alloplastic approaches aim to change external reality rather than the person’s inner thoughts or feelings. When a counselor pushes this viewpoint, they’re focusing on altering the environment, systems, or social conditions that contribute to the client’s distress rather than trying to change the client’s mind or internal coping. So a client would interpret that as the counselor trying to change the outside world—i.e., attacking the system—in order to alleviate the problem. Healing the mind would be autoplastic (internal change), while supporting the status quo or ignoring the problem would not align with this external-change focus.