Confusion and Controversy in Parental Alienation

Abstract

There is considerable confusion and debate about the best way to describe those cases where a child refuses to have further contact with one parent following parental separation. There are advocates for a syndromal approach and advocates for a continuum approach. Moreover, there is often confusion between descriptions and explanations in the relevant literature. Such confusion has caused problems for the courts when evaluating expert evidence. This article reviews the available descriptions and explanatory formulations that have been proposed. It does so in an international context, focusing on the relationship between legal and theoretical issues rather than on how this topic is dealt with within specific legal jurisdictions.