You may or may not have heard of the term Parent Alienation Syndrome. It is a recognized psychological phenomena which occurs most frequently in high conflict situations between the "custodial parent" and the "non-custodial parent". It runs contrary to the primary duties of parenthood, as it involves deliberate action on the part of the "alienating parent" to undermine the child's relationship with the other parent. This is NEVER in the "best interests of the child". It only serves to inflame an already heated situation and can lead to devastating consequences. Consequently, PAS is one of the most important parenting issues to avoid in a divorce.

Parent Alienation Syndrome is characterized by the following:-

Deliberate denial of access or contact between the child and the other parent. Access is treated as an annoying inconvenience. The other parent is not regarded or treated as a key family member. In fact, even minor deviations from the visitation arrangement is often used as an excuse to block access visits altogether!

Unfounded allegations of abuse. This occurs where the alienating parent alleges that the parenting skills of the other parent are lacking and amount to abuse, based on trivial matters such as the child being allowed up later than the alienating parent thinks is appropriate. In extreme cases, false allegations of sexual or physical abuse may even be raised.

An intense fear reaction in the child by the alienating parent in regard to the other parent. This can occur where the alienating parent takes active steps to influence the child to act in ways that causes the child to choose the alienating parent over the other parent or "suffer the consequences". The child lives in fear of displeasing the alienating parent in regard to the child's attitudes and perception of or towards the other parent. This is harmful to a child's emotional well being and should be avoided.

It is important to realise that some of these 'symptoms" can exist but will not satisfy a finding of Parent Alienation Syndrome unless they are all present. Even then, it may still be a question of whether the child is actually responding to these attempts by one parent to alienate the child from his or her other parent. If you feel that you are a victim of PAS, you need to do something about it. While there are many articles published on the Internet on PAS and what remedies are available, it may well be worth your while talking to a psychologist about it. It is simply too important an issue to let it go unchecked.

In fact, within Family Law proceedings you may need a psychologist's report before the court is willing to order its own pschological assessment or Family Welfare Report. In some jurisdictions, the child may even be interviewed by the Judge and/or the court may even order made that the child have his or her own separate legal representation (particularly where sexual abuse allegations have been raised).

© Barry J. Roche

Barry Roche is the founder of the Womens Divorce Self-Help Club and the author of numerous divorce articles and ebooks including, “How To Win When Facing Divorce”. He is a former Divorce Lawyer who wrote this book specifically to help women not just survive divorce, but come out not feeling a victim. The book is available for purchase at http://www.divorceandwomen.com/help.html. (This article may be reproduced provided it is unedited, the copyright is acknowledged and the information in the resource box and links are published with it.)

Of course, when it comes to children and divorce, there are a multitude of issues that need to be addressed such as child custody and child support. To find out about more about these matte, click on the relevant link in the menu in the top left-hand corner of this page.

DISCLAIMER: - The legal information on this website is not a substitute for legal advice. Each case depends on its own merits and you should consult an attorney for specific legal advice in relation to your particular case.