Parental Alienation: A Violent and Potentially Lethal Social and Psychological Phenomenon

Parental alienation is a form of child psychological abuse in which one parent uses alienating behaviours to induce the child to reject the other parent. The rejection is incongruent with the child’s historical relationship with the rejected or alienated parent and may result in adverse outcomes for the child and their rejected parent. There has been little research into how alienating behaviours (by the favoured parent) and parental alienation (the behavioural signs in the child) may lead to murder and suicide. Emerging research suggests it is also a social and discursive phenomenon, which helps to understand extreme and lethal forms of parental alienation. This study examined publicly documented cases of murder and suicide of alienating or alienated parents, extended family, and alienated children. The aim was to identify narratives and behaviours consistent with parental alienation theory featuring psychological and social markers of potential lethality. This potential link warrants further research.