An interesting article from Florida’s Dr. Michael Bone:
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It is important to understand and recall that Parental Alienation is a form of child abuse.
Since it is the parent child- relationship that orients a child’s understanding of their own sense of self and their lovability, teaching a child that one of their parents does not love them, also teaches them that they are in some basic way, unlovable, or not worthy of love.
While alienated children typically describe hatred or fear of the alienated parent, gently probing into the nuances of these negative feelings, virtually always reveals that these children believe that the Alienated Parent is self-centered, not interested in their wellbeing, and unloving. They are taught, and come to believe that they are not loved by that parent.
This is absolutely child abuse in its most pure form. Parental Alienation is child abuse.
Given this, it should not be surprising to realize that parents who perpetrate this form abuse, are also prone to other forms of abuse. The literature clearly indicates that those prone to domestic violence, are prone to multiple forms of domestic violence. As we see an increased tendency for truly abusive parents to misuse the diagnosis of Parental Alienation to explain why their children may not be close to them, or may be reticent to visit with them after marital separation, it perhaps should not be surprising to then see that when these parents are successful in mis-portraying the other parent as being an Alienating Parent, that they themselves then tend to become the true Alienating Parent.
Adults prone to domestic violence, tend to be prone to multiple expressions of abuse.
While alienated children typically describe hatred or fear of the alienated parent, gently probing into the nuances of these negative feelings, virtually always reveals that these children believe that the Alienated Parent is self-centered, not interested in their wellbeing, and unloving. They are taught, and come to believe that they are not loved by that parent.
This is absolutely child abuse in its most pure form. Parental Alienation is child abuse.
Given this, it should not be surprising to realize that parents who perpetrate this form abuse, are also prone to other forms of abuse. The literature clearly indicates that those prone to domestic violence, are prone to multiple forms of domestic violence. As we see an increased tendency for truly abusive parents to misuse the diagnosis of Parental Alienation to explain why their children may not be close to them, or may be reticent to visit with them after marital separation, it perhaps should not be surprising to then see that when these parents are successful in mis-portraying the other parent as being an Alienating Parent, that they themselves then tend to become the true Alienating Parent.
Adults prone to domestic violence, tend to be prone to multiple expressions of abuse.
Once these abusive parents have their children more in their control that they ever had before, these children become extremely vulnerable to becoming quickly alienated from the parent whom they used to look to for protection. Under this scenario, these children often become severely alienated, and very quickly. I believe that this is an ever-increasing phenomenon.