Parental Alienation in Light of Attachment Theory

@article{Garber2004ParentalAI,
  title={Parental Alienation in Light of Attachment Theory},
  author={Benjamin D. Garber},
  journal={Journal of Child Custody},
  year={2004},
  volume={1},
  pages={49 - 76}
}
  • B. Garber
  • Published 22 December 2004
  • Psychology
  • Journal of Child Custody
Abstract Few ideas have captured the attention and charged the emotions of the public, of mental health and legal professionals as thoroughly as the concept of parental alienation and Gardner's (1987) Parental Alienation Syndrome. For all of this controversy, the alienation concept stands outside developmental theory and without firm empirical support. The present paper explores alienation and its conceptual counterpart, alignment, as the necessary and natural tools of child-caregiver… 
View on Taylor & Francis
healthyparent.com
35 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
3
Background Citations
25

35 Citations

Parental Alienation: The Blossoming of a Field of Study

Parental alienation has been an unacknowledged and poorly understood form of family violence. Research on parental alienation and the behaviors that cause it has evolved out of decades of legal and…

Parental Alienation: In Search of Common Ground For a More Differentiated Theory

The concept of parental alienation (PA) has expanded in popular usage at the same time that it remains mired in controversy about its scientific integrity and its use as a legal strategy in response…

Parental Alienation, DSM-V, and ICD-11

Parental alienation is an important phenomenon that mental health professionals should know about and thoroughly understand, especially those who work with children, adolescents, divorced adults, and…

Therapist Alienation: Foreseeing and Forestalling Third-Party Dynamics Undermining Psychotherapy With Children of Conflicted Caregivers

The phenomena of impasse and rupture in the psychotherapy relationship have been discussed mostly in terms of the dynamics of the therapist-patient dyad. Therapist alienation identifies the…

SECURITY BY ASSOCIATION? MAPPING ATTACHMENT THEORY ONTO FAMILY LAW PRACTICE

Family Court Review has provided the family law community with an invaluable compilation of articles in the form of interviews with some of the world's most highly respected experts on attachment…

The Lingering Debate Over the Parental Alienation Syndrome Phenomenon

Both sides of the argument are presented and the PAS debate lingers on and remains unsettled and not enough rigorous experimentation has been done to prove once and for all that PAS is a diagnosable phenomenon.

MAPPING ATTACHMENT THEORY ONTO FAMILY LAW PRACTICE

Family Court Review has provided the family law community with an invaluable compilation of articles in the form of interviews with some of the world’s most highly respected experts on attachment…

Attachment Theory and Parental Alienation

Following an acrimonious divorce or separation, arguments are frequently presented as to why a child should not be with a nonresident parent. The custodial parent, whether a father or a mother, uses…

Is Parental Alienation Disorder a Valid Concept? Not According to Scientific Evidence. A Review of Parental Alienation, DSM-5 and ICD-11 by William Bernet

This article reviews a recent book arguing how a concept known as parental alienation syndrome—now parental alienation disorder—should be included in official psychiatric/psychological and medical…

Impact of Parental Interference on Children in High Conflict Divorce

Parental interference in high conflict divorce cases continues to evoke much debate among mental health professionals in the forensic psychology field. Although over the past thirty years, some…

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 138 REFERENCES

A Critical Analysis of Parental Alienation Syndrome and Its Admissibility in the Family Court

Abstract Over the past three decades, parental alienation syndrome (PAS) has been proposed to explain behaviors by a child who refuses to spend time with a parent and actually denigrates that parent…

THE ALIENATED CHILD:A Reformulation of Parental Alienation Syndrome

In this article, controversies and problems with parental alienation syndrome are discussed. A reformulation focusing on the alienated child is proposed, and these children are clearly distinguished…

Therapist Alienation: Foreseeing and Forestalling Third-Party Dynamics Undermining Psychotherapy With Children of Conflicted Caregivers

The phenomena of impasse and rupture in the psychotherapy relationship have been discussed mostly in terms of the dynamics of the therapist-patient dyad. Therapist alienation identifies the…

Clinical implications of attachment concepts: retrospect and prospect.

  • M. Rutter
  • Psychology
    Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines
  • 1995
The key features of attachment theory are summarized and the unresolved questions considered in terms of a behavioural control system, measurement of attachment security, qualities of attachment, the…

CURRENT CONTROVERSIES REGARDING PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME

This article draws on the relevant literature to examine the main controversies surrounding the use of the term PAS by mental health professionals and focuses on controversies regarding the conceptualization of the problem of alienated children, the reliability and validity of PAS, and the treatment of PAs.

A review of interventions in the parent‐child relationship informed by attachment theory

  • A. Broberg
  • Psychology
    Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). Supplement
  • 2000
The theory behind attachment‐based interventions is sketched, the evidence for the effectiveness of such interventions is reviewed and examples of successful preventive as well as therapeutic interventions are given.

The relationship between quality of attachment and behavior problems in preschool in a high-risk sample.

The securely attached child, with positive expectations of self and others, is more likely to "approach the world with confidence and, when faced with potentially alarming situations, is likely to tackle them effectively or to seek help in doing so" (Bowlby, 1973, p. 208).

Commentary on Walker, Brantley, and Rigsbee's (2004) “A Critical Analysis of Parental Alienation Syndrome and Its Admissibility in the Family Court”

Abstract In this response to Walker et al. (2004), we explain our perspective, recent research, and recommendations in order to correct some misunderstandings of our work on alienated children. Then…

The extent and function of parental attachment among first-year college students

  • M. Kenny
  • Psychology
    Journal of youth and adolescence
  • 1987
Overall, students' descriptions of their parental relationships were positive and resembled Ainsworth's secure attachment type, and most students viewed their parents as a secure base, encouraging independence and remaining available as a source of support when needed.

The legacy of early attachments.

This essay evaluates what has been learned, and offers ideas for future research, by examining the origins of continuity and change in the security of attachment early in life, and its prediction of later behavior.
...