Which orientation is characterized by counseling minorities using the same framework as the majority population?

• A. Emic orientation
• B. Universalism
• C. Cultural relativism
• D. Etic orientation

Answer: (D)

Etic orientation uses the same framework as the majority population to guide counseling with minority clients. In this approach, the counselor applies external standards, models, and assessment tools rooted in the dominant culture, treating them as the baseline for understanding and intervention. The appeal is consistency and a shared set of practices, but it can miss important cultural nuances, values, and communication styles that matter to the minority client.

By contrast, an emic orientation centers the minority culture’s own beliefs and practices in counseling, cultural relativism encourages understanding behaviors within their cultural context, and universalism posits that some core counseling principles apply across cultures, though not necessarily by imposing the majority framework.