Few terms in divorce generate more heat and less clarity than parental alienation. It is invoked constantly, used by parents who are genuinely experiencing something harmful, and also used in ways that are inaccurate, strategically motivated, or that obscure more serious underlying dynamics. In this post, we take an honest, evidence-informed look at what parental alienation actually is, what it is not, and why the distinction matters.

Research is clear on one of the most important findings in divorce psychology: it is not the divorce that puts children at risk. It is the conflict surrounding it.