Parental Alienation and Misinformation Proliferation

• Date: 01 April 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12473
• Published date: 01 April 2020
• Author: William Bernet

PARENTAL ALIENATION AND MISINFORMATION PROLIFERATION

William Bernet

Since parental alienation syndrome (PAS) was identified in the 1980’s, there has been a remarkable amount of misinformation

regarding bothPAS and parental alienation (PA).These falsehoods were published in professional journals, presented at confer-

ences, and distributed through internet websites and blogs. This article summarizes five examples of published misinformation

regarding PAS/PA. Each case study includes: the false statements that were published in the medical, psychological, or legal

professional literature; the names of the individuals who made the false statements; and the steps taken to refute the falsehoods

and correct the record. The writers of the misinformation were from Sweden,Tunisia, Spain, and the United States, which illus-

trates the international scope of PAS/PA. In one example, the misinformation reached the U.S. House of Representatives and

was almost included in a formal resolution adopted by that body. The article discusses various underlying causes of the high

level of polarization in PAS/PA scholarship. The article also proposes steps that both mental health and legal writers can adopt

to reduce the destructive polarization that has occurred. In general, however, clinicians, forensic practitioners, and legal profes-

sionals should remain vigilant when they read articles or listen to presentations about topics that might be considered

controversial.

Key Points for the Family Court Community:

Since 1985, a remarkable amount of misinformation regarding parental alienation and parental alienation syndrome

has been published in professional literature and presented at conferences.

When misinformation occurs in journal articles and books for mental health and legal professionals, readers may

want to contact the editor and publisher in order to correct the record.

When misinformation occurs in presentations at conferences for professionals, audience members may want to chal-

lenge the presenter to correct the false statements.

When practitioners have conflicting opinions regarding a topic, a constructive activity might be for them to write an

article together for publication, in which they clarify where they agree and where they disagree.

Keywords: Cognitive Dissonance; Disinformation; Misinformation; Parental Alienation; Parental Alienation Syndrome;

Partisanship; U.S.House of Representatives.

I. INTRODUCTION

Parental alienation syndrome (PAS) was identified by Richard Gardner in 1985.

1

Subsequent

writers generally referred to parental alienation (PA) rather than PAS. For example, a comprehen-

sive book regarding this topic—which referred to PAS—was Parental Alienation Syndrome:The

International Handbook of Parental Alienation Syndrome:Conceptual,Clinical and Legal Consid-

erations. That book, which was published in 2006, was edited by Gardner, Sauber, and Lorandos.

However, subsequent books by the same editors and authors referred to PA rather than PAS: Paren-

tal Alienation,DSM-5,and ICD-11;Parental Alienation:The Handbook for Mental Health and

Legal Professionals; and Parental Alienation –Science and Law.

For purposes of this article, PAS and PA are meant to be synonymous. PAS specifically refers

to the “syndrome”of eight characteristic behaviors identified by Gardner: the child’s campaign of

denigration against the alienated parent; frivolous rationalizations for the child’s criticism of the

alienated parent; lack of ambivalence; the independent-thinker phenomenon; reflexive support of

the preferred parent against the alienated parent; absence of guilt over exploitation and mistreatment

of the alienated parent; borrowed scenarios; and spread of the child’s animosity toward the alienated

Corresponding: william.bernet@vumc.org

FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Vol. 58 No. 2, April 2020 293–307

© 2020 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts