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It is common in custody and access disputes to hear parents accuse the other parent of turning their mutual offspring against them.1 Denials of engaging in alienation activities are also asserted with regularity. As such, the validity of an alienation allegation often becomes hotly contested.
Modern concepts of parental alienation stem in large measure from the work of the late Columbia University psychiatrist, Richard Gardner. In 1985, Dr. Gardner introduced the term, "Parental Alienation Syndrome"2 to indicate a specific disorder in which a parent successfully turns a child unjustly against the other parent. In his practice, Gardner noted that cases of Parental Alienation Syndrome seemed to emerge primarily during the course of child custody litigation. Since Gardner's original description, over one hundred professional manuscripts have appeared on the Parental Alienation Syndrome.3
The literature on Parental Alienation Syndrome is controversial.4 For example, there is considerable debate as to whether Parental Alienation Syndrome should be considered a psychiatric disorder.5 However, there is virtually no debate that in certain family disputes, one parent may engage in behaviors designed to alienate the other parent from his or her offspring. Accordingly, this article focuses exclusively on aspects of parental alienation, be they part and parcel of Parental Alienation Syndrome or not.
When a parent charges that the other parent is engaging in alienating behaviors, that allegation is either true or false. While there are numerous professional articles regarding the clinical specification, diagnosis, and treatment of parental alienation, there is a glaring void in the literature regarding false allegations of parental alienation. The purpose of this article is to begin to address this neglected area.
CLINICAL DEFINITION
Parental alienation occurs when one parent turns his or her offspring against the other parent. Such behavior may be justified or unjustified. An example of justified alienation occurs when a parent properly teaches his or her child about the dangers of interacting with the other parent who has an extensive history of sexually and physically abusing that child. An example of unjustified alienation is when a parent convinces his or her child that the other parent has not provided any financial support for the child when proper financial support was actually provided. In the case of Parental Alienation Syndrome, the alienation is always unjustified....