Parental Alienation ~ Whose Loss Is It?

By Dr. Jeanne King, PhD.

In the last 25 years I have come to recognize that the real loss for families of parental alienation* is for the child, whether minor or adult.

This article assumes an understanding of the term “parental alienation.” However, for those unfamiliar with the term, here is a working definition.

“Parental alienation” is a term used to describe a process by which one parent tries to cause the child to reject, fear, or avoid contact with the other parent. It’s a conditioning that often occurs during and after high conflict domestic violence divorce. When it is real (as opposed to a sham legal ploy), it typically involves an abusive parent eliminating a protective parent from a child’s life.

Common belief among those experiencing this nasty syndrome is that the loss is for the targeted parent. These parents suffer what is close to the death of a child.

For some, it is even worse because there is no burial and no closure. So, they feel this death day in and day out. It’s an ache to the core of your being. Words cannot express the pain these parents suffer.

Other people will claim that the real loss is to the child. They say it is “child abuse.” Clearly, it is a psychological abuse to a child to have a parent ripped out of their lives.