Psychiatrist Richard Gardner developed the concept of "parental alienation" 20 years ago, defining it as "a disorder that arises primarily in the context of child custody disputes. Its primary manifestation is the child's campaign of denigration against a parent, a campaign that has no justification. It results from the combination of a programming (brainwashing) parent's indoctrinations and the child's own contributions to the vilification of the target parent".
Parental alienation can include slandering the other parent; interfering with contact between the child and the other parent; and alleging the other parent has or will cause harm to the child despite a lack of evidence.
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