17 Signs of Parental Alienation
It is important to note that these are signs that may or may not lead to Parental Alienation. The following list is taken from
Beyond the High Road: Responding to 17 Parental Alienation Strategies without Compromising Your Morals or Harming Your Child (Amy J.L. Baker, Ph.D. and Paul R. Fine, LCSW, May 2008)
- Badmouthing the other parent
- Limiting contact with the other parent
- Interfering with communications, i.e. letters, phone calls, emails
- Interfering with symbolic communication, i.e. photos of targeted parent in child’s home
- Withdrawal of love towards the child
- Telling the child that the targeted parent does not love him or her
- Forcing the child to choose between parents
- Creating the impression that the targeted parent is dangerous
- Confiding in the child
- Forcing the child to reject the targeted parent
- Asking the child to spy on the targeted parent
- Asking the child to keep secrets from the targeted parent
- Referring to the targeted parent by their first name
- Referring to the stepparent as “Mom” or “Dad” and encouraging the child to do the same
- Withholding medical, academic, and other important information from the targeted parent/Keeping targeted parent’s name off of medical, academic and other relevant documents
- Changing the child’s name to remove association with targeted parent
- Cultivating dependency on the part of the child