What You Need to Know About Parental Alienation in California
Parental alienation occurs when a child has become estranged from their parent due to psychological manipulation from the other parent. Here is what you need to know about parental alienation in California.
Parental alienation may present itself in many ways. Children may be fearful of their estranged parent. The child may also become disrespectful, hostile, or distant. It is important to recognize the symptoms of parental alienation to work towards a fruitful relationship with one’s child once again.
Signs of Parental Alienation
1. A campaign of denigration
The relationship between the estranged parent and the child shifts seemingly overnight. While they may have had a positive relationship not long ago, this relationship has quickly shifted and is now hostile.
2. Absurd rationalizations
When the estranged parent confronts the child and asks why they now have negative feelings towards them, they cannot justify their reasons with examples. Sometimes in these cases, children may give the parent reasons for rejection that do not fully explain such rejection, such as they do not like their parent’s cooking or the house is unorganized.
3. Lack of ambivalence
In the child’s eyes, the parent who is doing the psychological manipulation can do no wrong. On the other hand, the child cannot say anything positive about the alienated parent.
4. The independent thinker
The child will insist that their feelings towards the estranged parent are their own and not those of the manipulative parent. The child will deny that any of these feelings came from the alienating parent.
5. Absence of guilt
Children who experience parental alienation feel no guilt for treating the estranged parent negatively. They may be ungrateful, insulting, and cold. They also may not be thankful for any of the alienated parent’s gifts or acts of kindness.
6. Display of support for the manipulative parent
The child will always take the side of the manipulative parent over the estranged parent. The child is not willing to listen to the estranged parent’s side of things when there is conflict.
7. Borrowed phrases or scenarios
Alienated children will often borrow advanced adult language or ideas from the manipulative parent that they themselves do not understand. They may also accuse the estranged parent of something that never happened or that they cannot support with evidence.
8. Rejection of extended family
An alienated child’s resentment towards the estranged parent may also extend to certain family members. These relatives may suddenly be despised and avoided by the child.
Determining whether parental alienation has occurred involves recognizing the signs. Children may have a few or all of the above-mentioned symptoms. Working with a family attorney or a family counselor can help one determine the next steps when they believe that they and their child have fallen victim to parental alienation.
Related: 5 Telltale Signs of Parental Alienation
FAQs About Parental Alienation in California
Can the court do anything about parental alienation?
Yes. If a judge believes that a parent has been psychologically manipulating the child to reject the custody order, the judge has the authority to place the child in the care of the rejected parent and order further intervention and sanctions regarding the alienating parent.
Related: How to Prove Parental Alienation in California
Can a child-parent recover from parental alienation?
Working with a family counselor can restore the relationship between a child and an estranged parent resulting from parental alienation. The length of time a child and parent works with a family counselor depends on a case-by-case basis and the severity of the circumstances.
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