The Parental Alienation Syndrome

And the use of allegations of sexual abuse in the divorce procedure

DEFINITION  The Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is a disorder characterized by a set of symptoms.  It results from the process by which a parent becomes the conscience of their children using different strategies in order to prevent, hinder or destroy their links with the other parent. Moreover the effort is to make them disagree or not get along (José Manuel Aguilar - Parental Alienation Syndrome). Unlike the pensions divorce, the marriage annulment and all the other divorce wars, this disorder arises primarily in the context of disputes over custody of the children. Its primary manifestation is a smear campaign carried by the child against one parent, a campaign that has no justification.   The phenomenon is a combination of systematic indoctrination (brainwashing) by a parent and the child's own contributions that lead to the denigration of the parent who is the object of this campaign (Richard Gardner: A Guide for Mental Health and Legal Professionals). THE PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME AND SEXUAL ABUSE  Faced with the continued use of allegations of sexual abuse as a weapon in the context of divorce and / or custody of children of separated couples, the purpose of this report is to provide professionals and parents who must deal with these situations with a comparative description so that they can establish the differences between the two situations. SEXUAL ABUSE PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME The son remembers what happened without any outside help The son has not lived long with the complaint. They need to remember. The data provided is credible, with greater quantity and quality of details. The data provided is less credible, there is lack of detail and there are even contradictory brothers. Inappropriate sexual knowledge for their age: erection, ejaculation, fellatio, taste of semen ... They do not have sexual knowledge of physical nature - taste, hardness, texture, etc. There are usually sexual indicators - sexualized behaviors, seductive behavior with adults, early and inappropriate sexual play with peers (e.g. fellatio, sexual assault on other younger children, excessive masturbation, etc… No sexual indicators appear. There are often physical indicators - infection, injury - abuse There are no physical indicators Functional disorders often occur - altered sleep patterns, bedwetting, encopresis, eating disorders The companions don’t usually present functional disorders. Educational delays often occur - difficulty with concentration, attention, lack of motivation, school failure. Educational backwardness does not usually occur consistently with the complaint Changes usually occur in the interaction pattern of the abused person - sudden behavioral changes, social withdrawal, alcohol or other drugs, physical aggression and / or unwarranted verbal, theft, etc ... The subject's behavioral pattern is not altered in their environment. Emotional disorders often occur - feelings of guilt, stigma, depression, low self-esteem, unmotivated crying, suicide attempts ... Guilt or stigmatization or autolysis behavior do not appear The child feels guilty or ashamed of what they feel Feelings of guilt or shame are few or non-existent The allegations of abuse are made before the separation The abuse allegations are made after separation The parent is aware of the pain and destruction of links that the complaint will cause in the family relationships The parent does not take into account, nor seems to care about, the destruction of the family ties. You would expect that a parent who abuses their children could present other problems in various spheres of life An alienated parent appears to be healthy in different areas of their life A parent who accuses another of abuse of their children is also often accused of abuse themselves A programming parent only denounces the damage to their children.