Patterns of Parental Alienation Syndrome: A Qualitative Study of Adults Who were Alienated from a Parent as a Child

Amy Baker sup sup

57 citations0/0 files storedAmerican Journal of Family Therapy

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Family Dynamics and Relationships Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Child Abuse and Trauma

Abstract

A qualitative retrospective study was conducted on 40 adults who experienced parental alienation as a child. Individuals participated in one-hour, semi-structured interviews. Audiotapes were transcribed verbatim and submitted to a content analysis for primary themes and patterns. Findings pertaining to the process of alienation from the targeted parent were analyzed for this article. Results revealed three distinct patterns of alienation (1) narcissistic alienating mothers in divorced families, (2) narcissistic alienating mothers in intact families, and (3) abusive/rejecting alienating mothers and fathers. Each of these patterns is described in detail along with five additional notable finings: (1) Alcoholism, maltreatment, and personality disorders co-occurred in most of the alienating families, (2) parental alienation occurred in intact families, (3) parental occurred in non-litigious divorced families, (4) some of the targeted parents appeared to play a role in their own alienation, and (5) the alienation was not always completely internalized. The clinical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

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References

2006Qualitative research: Methods in the social sciences 1987Qualitative Analysis for Social Scientists 2018The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence 1993Object-relations theory and clinical psychoanalysis 1989Second chances: men, women, and children a decade after divorce 2001THE ALIENATED CHILD:A Reformulation of Parental Alienation Syndrome 1994High-Conflict Divorce 1994Life-Span Adjustment of Children to Their Parents' Divorce

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2007A Construct Study of the Eight Symptoms of Severe Parental Alienation Syndrome 2017Parental alienation: Targeted parent perspective 2018The Forgotten Parent: The Targeted Parent Perspective of Parental Alienation 2011Children’s Appraisals as Mediators of the Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Child Adjustment 2012The Life Paths and Lived Experiences of Adults Who Have Experienced Parental Alienation: A Retrospective Study 2014Parental Alienation Gradient: Strategies for a Syndrome

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