Know More About Parental Alienation

By Dennis Gac

Parental alienation is just another one of the numerous reasons why the problem of divorce has grown so serious in contemporary society today. In medical terms it is termed as PAS or Parental Alienation Syndrome. This is yet another of the side effects that bitter divorce proceeding usually has on the minds of impressionable children. A man called Richard Gardner in 1985 coined this term. He used the term to describe a process of increasing alienation or distance between a child and his/her parents. In such situations a child displays an increasing amount of hostility and a critical attitude towards the other parent. Now this syndrome can occur for a variety of reasons. One of the main ones is because the other parent usually indoctrinates the child to indulge in such behavior. Now the other parent can either directly or indirectly encourage this attitude of parental alienation.

Again, some numbers which have been thrown up by Gardner reveals that the alienator in parental alienation syndrome cases is more often than not, the mother. The fathers are usually accused of different crimes by the mothers and these accusations all directly or indirectly influence the attitude of the child towards the targeted parent, regardless of whether the accusations are true or not. Parental Alienation has become a favorite tool used by couples to win custody cases. However to be fair, it has been noticed that of late, men are also playing an equal role in alienating children from their mothers.

For quite a long time, Parental Alienation Syndrome had not been accepted as a valid point in custody cases. However, of late, courts in the United States have accepted it while in the United Kingdom, it still awaits recognition. However, there is still a great deal of controversy about the existence and scientific validity of the Parental Alienation Syndrome. It has been widely criticized universally. Even the APA or the American Psychological Association has been very cautious about adopting any stance on the issue of parental alienation as a valid psychological condition. The Association has often criticized the misuse of the syndrome as well.

At this point we are really not qualified to comment on the nature of the Parental Alienation Syndrome. However it is true that one bitter spouse to indict another often uses it. Children as usual, are the worst affected, as they fluctuate back and forth between both parents without really knowing what is happening. Again, the mothers are still discriminated against, as being the perpetrators of PAS. They are often accused of unjustly accusing the fathers to get the child on their side. The male parents often end up with a raw deal, especially if sexual allegations are made against them.

Though it is true sometimes, at other moments, they are just an expression of hate and revenge. For this dicey nature perhaps, PAS is still being denied any official validity. The fate of this still remains to be seen and as always, nothing but time will tell.

About the Author:

Dennis Gac represents Father Rights Organization which helps fathers to regain their children's back into their custody. If you wish to know more about father rights just visit the website http://www.fathershelphotonline.com and more information about father rights.