KHA 454 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Cognitive Dissonance, Coparenting, Grandiosity
30 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Advanced Topics week 2
Parental Alienation, Mandy Matthewson
What is parental alienation:
- No agreed upon definitive set of behaviours that constitute parental alienation
- PA: the process of one parent influencing a child to turn against and reject
their other parent without legitimate justification
oAlienating parent
oAlienated or targeted child
oA process
oAlienated or targeted parent
- Different to estrangement
oWhen a child has rejected another parent on legitimate grounds
oParent who facilitates that is acting protectively
oHard to distinguish because a common technique is for the alienating
parent to make allegations of abuse
- The alienating parent can also be a grandparent, a step parent, and even a non-
family member
oIf they are alienated from one parent then they tend to be alienated
from that side of the family
- Parental alienation can occur even when the relationship between the targeted
child and targeted parent was once a very positive one
- PA also involves extended family members
oOr at least adequate
- Typical tactics:
oLiterature review, no systematic
o13 tactics were identified
This is not an agreed upon figure
This is just one opinion
oTactics associated with TP
Denigration of the TP
Don’t care who they denigrate in front of: other people,
directly to the child, and to other people with the child
witnessing it
Child starts to internalize this
AP engage in vilification of the TP
Serious consequences
False beliefs that the other parent is dangerous
Fearful and phobic response to the targeted parent
Subtle forms extreme
Psychologists needs to identify this and separate it from
truth
No standardized measures to do this, but can use some
tools
oIntake interview
oSCID: particular personality traits can come
through in this
oTiming of the allegation:
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
In estrangement there is typically a
timeline
PA allegations come after court order..
Interference with time spent with TP
Disrupts quality time
Arranging other plans for child when the other parent
has access, or say they are sick
Phone contact: making sure they don’t get time to talk
on the phone
Eradication of the TP:
Removing the TP from the child’s life completely
Stop time spent, and then stop any form of
communication or information
Information gatekeeping:
Not passing on any information about the child, or vice
versa
oTactics associated with the child
Interrogation of the child after spending time the TP
Various consequences of this:
Easier to submit to this and give information
Begin to think that there must be legitimate reason for
the interrogation
Leading questions
AP tells child to be a spy
Damaging the loving connection between the child and TP
Saying that the other parent never wanted or loved the
child
Inappropriate disclosure
Exaggeration, lies, all of which are inappropriate
The TP is all bad, all evil, and my other parent is perfect
Black and white thinking
Encouraging child defiance
You don’t have to listen to your father’s rules or what
they say
I know how to do things perfectly, only have to listen to
me
Telling the child to confront the TP
oTactics associated with the AP
Emotional manipulation
Demand of an expression of loyalty, consequences if not
Withdrawal of love and affection
Forcing a loyal response
Child has to chose who they have a relationship with
Position child in a way that they always chose AP
because otherwise the consequences are bad
Child becomes the support provider and best friend
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
But then when it suits the parent, they become the
parent again
Encouraging an unhealthy alliance
Expected to engage in any activity that fosters this
alliance
Eg. Sleeping with the mother
Utilizing outside forces
The regime, the police (making reports), child safety
services
Asking for psychologists letter saying that the child
needs a break from seeing the TP
- PA facts and fallacies:
oChildren can reject parent even in unreasonable circumstances
oBoth sexes are involve: victims, PA
Clouded judgments due to initial bad press
Father’s rights, feminist groups
oCan last a lifetime
Adult targeted child
oSpontaneous resolution can occur but is difficult
oIndependent thinking suffers from PA
Not actually thinking independently
This is often missed
‘They can do what they wish’, appear intelligent and articulate..
They can think on their own
Often they present very well
Because they have to take the adult role a lot of the time
oPA and estrangement are different
oChildren can function well despite this
Doing really well at school and extra-curricular activities
This is very common, because this is where the world is safe,
better, and how they cope
Distraction tactic
School is the thing they can control and distract themselves
with
oDo not assume it is best to leave the child with the preferred parent
Don’t think this is the case: too hard, too distressing to leave
the PA
This is where the poor long term outcomes come from
A form of family violence? Abuse?
oA specialized form of family therapy ordered by a court is most
effective
oShort lived distress can be experiences but it is not traumatic for
children to be moved into the care of a stable parent
Parental alienation research:
- Beginning of PA research
- Parent Alienation Syndrome: Richard Gardner
oA campaign of denigration of the targeted parent
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
No agreed upon definitive set of behaviours that constitute parental alienation. Pa: the process of one parent influencing a child to turn against and reject their other parent without legitimate justification: alienating parent, alienated or targeted child, a process, alienated or targeted parent. Different to estrangement: when a child has rejected another parent on legitimate grounds, parent who facilitates that is acting protectively, hard to distinguish because a common technique is for the alienating parent to make allegations of abuse. The alienating parent can also be a grandparent, a step parent, and even a non- family member: if they are alienated from one parent then they tend to be alienated from that side of the family. Parental alienation can occur even when the relationship between the targeted child and targeted parent was once a very positive one. Pa also involves extended family members: or at least adequate. Typical tactics: literature review, no systematic, 13 tactics were identified.
