A psychodynamic exploration of Parental Alienation Syndrome Version1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A psychodynamic exploration of Parental Alienation Syndrome
IRAS ID
312944
Contact name
Elaine Quaile
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Essex
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 31 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
This study is being undertaken as part of doctoral research with the University of Essex.
The purpose of this study is to enhance and develop professional knowledge regarding Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS), a phenomenon characterised as the unjustified rejection of children towards one of the parents with whom the child previously enjoyed a healthy relationship, in the absence of any form of child abuse, which is usually induced by manipulation strategies from the other parent.
This study aims to address the lack of peer reviewed scientific research on the experiences of alienated children by offering a psychodynamic understanding of the contributions of the child in support of the alienating parent’s strategies and the impact these strategies induce on a child’s developing mind and psychological well-being.
Data will be derived from two sources:
Firstly, this study entails analysing therapy notes from three clinical case studies taken within the context of the child’s standard psychotherapy treatment offered by a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Service, within a single site Health and Social Care (HSC) organisation in Northern Ireland. Research participants are undergoing standard practice psychotherapy treatment during the study period (2021- 2024). Participation in the study involves giving informed consent for anonymised process recordings of standard therapy sessions to be analysed as the material for the research study. Data derived from the therapy notes is examined using an operationalisation method to explore whether a predetermined set of symptoms and key characteristics associated with PAS are observable in the notes.
Secondly, qualitative and quantitative data gathered from an online survey of the membership of the professional body The Association for Child Psychotherapists regarding therapist's experiences of offering therapeutic interventions for alienated children will be analysed using descriptive analysis to provide deeper understanding of the psychological, emotional and professional impact of this work on therapists.Summary of Results
The Alienated Child: A psychodynamic exploration of Parental Alienation Syndrome.Abstract.
This study offers a psychodynamic formulation of Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS), a phenomenon which arises in the contexts of separation and divorce, characterised as the unjustified rejection of children towards one of the parents with whom the child previously enjoyed a healthy relationship, in the absence of any form of child abuse, which is usually induced by manipulation strategies from the other parent (Mendoza Amaro & Bernet, 2022). The study focuses on the impact parental alienating behaviours have on a child’s development, as well as offering a psychodynamic exploration of the child’s contributions in support of the alienating parent’s campaign of denigration against the alienated parent. Using Walker and Hinshelwood (2018) Operationalisation of Terms method, three clinical case studies were tested against a set of determinants outlined in The Model for Identifying Parental Alienation Syndrome.
Data shows that exposure to severe alienation behaviours may lead to maladaptive defence mechanisms in the child including pathological splitting and has implications for the child’s overall capacity for ambivalence leading to a lack of symbolisation and resulting in increased anxiety, rigidity and concrete thinking. Findings demonstrate how the personality develops omnipotence and omniscience as substitutes for learning from experience and that an appropriate emotional environment is required for ordinary guilt sense in a child to develop. Qualitative and quantitative data derived from an online survey of the membership of the Association of Child Psychotherapists regarding the clinical experience of offering therapeutic interventions provides a deeper understanding of the psychological, emotional and professional impact of working with alienated children. This study aims to address the distinct lack of scientific research on the direct experiences of alienated children by exploring whether key criteria associated with PAS can be identified in children who have unjustifiably rejected a parent and to enhance and develop professional knowledge regarding PAS.Keywords: Parental Alienation Syndrome, Pathological Splitting, Ambivalence, Psychoanalytically Informed Case Study, Operationalisation of Terms Methodology.
Summary.
This study aims, firstly, to meet the identified knowledge gap for psychoanalytically informed case study research exploring the direct lived experiences of children at the time of exposure to parental alienating strategies and to capture the voice of alienated children. The study builds on Gardner’s (1985) theory that lack of ambivalence is one of the hallmarks of Parental Alienation Syndrome. Utilising Gardner’s theory as well as psychodynamic concepts a hypothesis was formulated- that exposure to severe parental alienating behaviours will lead to maladaptive defences such as pathological splitting, impacting upon a child’s overall capacity for ambivalence, and requiring an informed psychodynamic approach to treat. Using the operationalisation of terms method as outlined by Walker and Hinshelwood (2018) three psychodynamic clinical case studies were tested to establish whether participants identified as unjustifiably rejecting a parent post parental separation met a set of criteria and determinants outlined in The Model for Identifying Parental Alienation Syndrome.
Secondly, findings from a survey circulated to the professional membership of the Association of Child Psychotherapists aims to capture the experiences of child psychotherapists working with alienated children.Hypothesised outcomes:
The research hypothesis of this study is that severe parental alienating behaviours by a parent will lead to maladaptive defences such as pathological splitting and impact upon a child’s overall capacity for ambivalence, which will require an informed therapeutic approach to treat.
Outcome 1: Data shows that two of the three participants used pathological splitting as a maladaptive defence mechanism and impacted upon the child’s overall capacity to achieve ambivalence and weakened their sense of reality.
Outcome 2: Data shows that CAPT’s working with children who have unjustifiably rejected a parent post separation identified symptoms which require unique psychodynamically informed therapeutic approaches, including interpretation of the transference and countertransference in order to resolve pathological splitting and increase the child’s capacity to achieve ambivalence and to tolerate frustration.General conclusions of the study.
Parental alienation is a phenomenon often introduced to the courts in the context of a parent wishing to restore a relationship with a child who is unjustifiably rejecting them. Whilst this is an area which is gaining greater attention and there is a growing body of evidence, this field remains ripe for further exploration using methodological sound enquiries regarding the developmental trauma experienced by the alienated child. Much remains undiscovered regarding children’s post separation rejecting and aligning behaviours and the therapeutic approaches required to heal the pathological splitting defence which occurs as a result of immense psychological pressure on the child Findings from this research study clearly show that lack of ambivalence and paranoid schizoid defences such as projective identification lead to lack of symbolisation, resulting in increased anxiety, rigidity and concrete thinking. Findings also demonstrate how the personality develops omnipotence and omniscience as substitutes for learning from experience.
Findings support Winnicott’s (1958) argument that an appropriate emotional environment and physical setting is required for ordinary guilt sense or remorse in a child to develop. Furthermore the findings emphasise the importance of a parental ‘narrative skin’, where an attuned parent puts narrative to the infant’s experience in order to provide psychic skin containment. As Turp (2012) argues this narrative needs to be respectful of the child’s emotional truth and to the truth and reality of their inner world in order for the child to gradually gain a sense of being an ongoing person, located in time and growing older as the years pass by.REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
23/NI/0007
Date of REC Opinion
3 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion