Publication : Master's Thesis

Disciplining Divorcing Parents: The Social Construction of Parental Alienation Syndrome

Department of Sociology, Queen's University, September 1, 2008

This thesis explores the development of the concepts of “parental alienation syndrome” and “false allegations” in the context of custody and access, as ‘social problems’. It analyzes the course of these concepts through an historical account of Canada’s divorce arena and recent changes to custody and access law, analyzing the reasoning and motives of the major claimsmakers: the Fathers’ Right Movement, medical experts, the legal arena and the counter-claims of Feminist activists. It examines the role of the supervised access facilitator in the construction of the concepts as ‘social problems’. The theories of psychiatrist Richard Gardner are examined in particular, due to their pivotal role in the advancement of the claimsmakers’ goals. Finally, empirical studies are reviewed and analyzed, demonstrating how the concepts of “parental alienation syndrome” and “false allegations” have mutated and permeated the domain of divorce and access in Western society.  More

Presentation

Parental Alienation Syndrome in Family Courts

Presented at the Child Sexual Abuse: Justice Response or Alternative Resolution Conference, May 1, 2003

The question of allegations of sexual abuse in Family Law cases is a complex issue. It is becoming increasingly common to see Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) invoked as an explanation for such allegations, with the implication that the allegations are false. This presentation will review some of the literature on both issues - false allegations and PAS – in the context of Family Law disputes. It will examine the concept of PAS and will suggest that it has neither validity nor utility.
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Action Alert

Governors: Don't Be Fooled by Parental Alienation

Parental alienation is a fictitious syndrome used by lawyers to get their clients off the hook when they're charged with abuse. Its use causes harm to abused children and undermines the integrity of the legal system. Tell your governor the truth about this bogus theory.  More

Press Release

Legal Community Rejects Parental Alienation Syndrome

The Leadership Council On Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence, July 12, 2006

Two recent high profile legal publications have rejected “Parental Alienation Syndrome” (PAS), a controversial label often used to discredit allegations of child abuse or domestic violence in family courts. According to PAS theory, children's disclosures of abuse by one parent are reinterpreted as evidence of “brainwashing” by the other parent. The solution proposed by PAS theory is to immediately award custody to the alleged child abuser.   More

Information and Analysis

The Truth About Parental Alienation

February 23, 2007

Proponents of Parental Alienation portray parental alienation as a destructive family dynamic, usually manifesting during custody battles, in which one parent purportedly turns the child’s sentiments against the other parent. Failure to recognize and correct this dynamic by ensuring that the child has a relationship with both parents, they claim, will cause great harm to the child. Indeed, nothing can be further from the truth. Parental Alienation is a discredited, pseudo-psychological theory whose application in custody determinations has caused great harm to children.  More

Magazine Article

Jana's View: Parental Alienation

Phoenix Magazine, May 1, 2006

Abusive fathers are convincing the courts that mothers are "coaching" their kids to fear their fathers. It's called Parental Alienation Syndrome and its a serious issue.  More

Magazine Article

Who´s Protecting Whom? the Criminalization of Protective Parents

Off Our Backs, July 1, 1995

When most of us imagine divorce/custody cases that involve a child who is sexually abused by one of the parents, we see a pretty awful set of images. Until recently, it was widely believed in those cases, the mothers typically end up with the child, and the abuser, the father, is dragged off to jail. Over the past few years, with all the media attention on False Memories/Parental Alienation Syndrome, public opinion has been changing with respect to incest. What once appeared to be a clear-cut situation, has now become an area of great controversy and debate. The most tragic casualties of this debate over child abuse are the children themselves, who are currently being sexually abused and are not trusted or believed when they disclose because of the grave suspicion that has been cast upon all who dare to speak about the abuse. But children are not the only ones to suffer. This backlash has also hit mothers who are trying to protect their children from abuse.  More