This is Chapter 1 of “Parental Alienation - Science and Law,” edited by Lorandos and Bernet. This chapter gives an overview of parental alienation theory.

Parental alienation (rejection of a parent without legitimate justification) and realistic estrangement (rejection of a parent for a good reason) are generally accepted concepts among mental health and legal professionals

Here are some general definitions and descriptions of parental alienation.

The Five-Factor Model helps to distinguish parental alienation and parental estrangement.

Yes, mental health and legal authorities everywhere consider causing severe parental alienation to be a form of child psychological abuse.

The concept of parental alienation is in DSM-5, but not the actual words.

Severely alienated children do not give reliable explanations of their feelings and opinions.

Yes, the alienated child is mentally kidnapped and brainwashed.

There are 8 common behavioral symptoms of parental alienation.

There are 17 common alienating behaviors.

This research addresses how parental alienation affects targeted parents, and how they cope with this condition.