There are many clinical definitions of parental alienation but the simplest is: “When one parent intentionally turns a child against the other.”
“Parental Alienation Syndrome is the process of manipulating the child to internally transform their view of the other parent from being an object of love into being an object of hate.”
J. Michael Bone Ph.D
“Parental alienation is the term to describe the overall problem of children being encouraged by one parent – the favored parent — to unjustly reject the other parent — the targeted parent. The specific behaviors that they engage in are referred to as parental alienation strategies.”
“Some children are able to resist the pressure to choose one parent over the other. When they cannot resist the pressure they are said to be alienated. That is, they reject the targeted parent without justification; their relationship with the targeted parent is based on the emotional manipulation of the favored parent rather than based on the actual experiences with the targeted parent.”
Dr. Amy J.L. Baker – Parental Alienation Researcher, Expert, Author, and Coach
“Parental Alienation is about parents who place their own selfish needs above those of their defenseless children and in doing so, they deny them their right to love and be loved by both parents. Alienators do not fit the stereotype of the deficient and ill-equipment parent. Instead, these parents are generally articulate, resourceful, and competent in all other aspects of their lives – except in the realm of parenting.
In fact, these individuals might easily be mistaken for ideal parents, except to the properly informed, because they profess love and concern for their children. What sets these individuals apart from other dysfunctional parents is their overwhelming commitment to meeting their own needs first. In doing so, they destroy the relationship their children have with the other parent – at whatever cost.”
Dr. Reena Sommer – Internationally Recognized Divorce and Custody Consultant
As you can see, there are slightly different definitions of parental alienation but it truly comes down to: “When one parent turns a child against the other.” Defining and recognizing parental alienation is the first step to fighting it’s tactics and effects.