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, it is perhaps useless to debate the authenticity of such a condition. But, it is true that PAS is being used as an instrument of hate and revenge between couples who are out on a vendetta against each other. The children vacillate between one parent and the other and ultimately ending up taking sides for no concrete reason at all.
Often at times the mother's account is not taken seriously as it is believed that she may be unfairly trying to accuse the father of committing crimes that he is innocent of. Again at times, the father is discriminated against, especially if sexual allegations are raised. Thus there is a riot of chaos and confusion that prevails within the proceedings of divorce, and it remains to be seen as to whether PAS adds to the mess or is actually a valid point of contention.
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, it is perhaps useless to debate the authenticity of such a condition. But, it is true that PAS is being used as an instrument of hate and revenge between couples who are out on a vendetta against each other. The children vacillate between one parent and the other and ultimately ending up taking sides for no concrete reason at all.
Often at times the mother's account is not taken seriously as it is believed that she may be unfairly trying to accuse the father of committing crimes that he is innocent of. Again at times, the father is discriminated against, especially if sexual allegations are raised. Thus there is a riot of chaos and confusion that prevails within the proceedings of divorce, and it remains to be seen as to whether PAS adds to the mess or is actually a valid point of contention.
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