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Parental Alienation 215
face considerable social isolation caused by either the
behaviors of the alienator (e.g., loss of friends) or poor
emotional coping (Harman et al., 2018).
What Remains To Be Discovered
In order for a science to mature, scientific fields become
action oriented and cumulative, test integrated theories,
and increase our understanding of the etiology and
manifestation of the problems under study (Reis, 2007).
Research on parental alienation has always been action
oriented because it has arisen in response to the work
of legal and mental health professionals with families
affected by this problem. There has been extensive
scholarship on processes that constitute parental alien-
ating behaviors (e.g., gatekeeping, false memories), so
even though it superficially appears that research on
parental alienation is in its greening stage, it is actually
blossoming because greater attention to theoretical
extension and development has been occurring. For
example, attachment theories have been applied to
clinical observations in order to create a better under-
standing of parental rejection (Garber, 2004), and more
recently, the first author has been applying interdepen-
dence theory to understand how imbalanced power
dynamics characterize these family systems.
New directions forward include establishing what
patterns of parental alienating behaviors have the stron-
gest association with parental alienation outcomes,
developing the best methods for assessment and treat-
ment of parental alienation at different stages of sever-
ity, identifying more direct and indirect impacts
associated with this family violence and how it is dif-
ferent from estrangement, assessing the global preva-
lence of the problem, and identifying whether particular
demographic groups are more vulnerable (e.g., military
personnel).
Conclusion
Parental alienation is a serious form of family violence.
Although there is professional consensus about what it
is and what its causes are, the field is ripe for greater
research attention with more extensive theoretical and
integrated methodological inquiries to inform empiri-
cally validated interventions and treatments.
Recommended Reading
Bernet, W., Gregory, N., Reay, K. M., & Rohner, R. P. (2018).
(See References). An article demonstrating splitting of
children’s perception of parents (all good vs. all bad)
that is unique for alienated children in comparison with
children who were not alienated.
Harman, J. J., & Biringen, Z. (2016). Parents acting badly: How
institutions and societies promote the alienation of chil-
dren from their loving families. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado
Parental Alienation Project. A book written for a general
audience that provides an overview of the literature on
parental alienation and how it has come to be such a seri-
ous problem.
Harman, J. J., Kruk, E., & Hines, D. A. (2018). (See References).
A review of research on parental alienation and how the
behaviors that cause it are considered both child abuse
and domestic violence.
Lorandos, D., Bernet, W., & Sauber, S. R. (Eds.). (2013). (See
References). A book with chapters explaining the differ-
ent levels of outcome severity in children, legal cases in
which parental alienation has been at issue, and practical
advice for legal and mental health professionals working
with clients who are coping with this problem.
Warshak, R. A. (2010). Divorce poison: How to protect your
family from bad-mouthing and brainwashing. New York,
NY: HarperCollins. One of the most widely read books
on the topic of parental alienation and a classic guide for
how to prevent and overcome the problem.
Action Editor
Randall W. Engle served as action editor for this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to recognize all the families who have
been affected by parental alienation. It is our hope that tar-
geted parents will no longer be blamed for their child’s rejec-
tion of them and that the scientific field can devote more
attention to this problem in order to find solutions to protect
children from this form of family violence.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared that there were no conflicts of interest
with respect to the authorship or the publication of this
article.
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FORELDRAÚTILOKUN: VITUNDARVAKNING Á RANNSÓKNARSVIÐINU JENNIFER J. HARMAN O.FL.