These are the symptoms of parental alienation that appear within alienated children. Generally,
the more symptoms present and the more severe the symptoms, the more severe the alienation;
all manifestations do not need to be present in order for alienation to exist.
1. Campaign of denigration: Strong or utter rejection of one parent, willingness to tell others,
erasing past positive aspects of relationship and memories.
2. Weak, frivolous, absurd reasons for the rejection: When pressed to explain the rejection will
give reasons that do not make sense or explain the level of animosity, are false memories
(proclaiming to remember something from a very young age), or are patently untrue.
3. Lack of ambivalence: For the most part, one parent is seen as all good while the other is
viewed as all bad.
4. “Independent thinker” phenomenon: The child strongly emphasizes that the favored parent
played no role in the child’s rejection of the other parent.
5. Reflexive support of the alienating parent in the parental conflict: Almost always taking the
favored parent’s side in almost all disagreements.
6. Absence of guilt: Appearing to have no qualms about cruel and harsh treatment of the rejected
parent.
7. The presence of borrowed scenarios: Use of words and phrases that mimic or parrot those of
the favored parent.
8. Rejection of extended family of rejected parent: Refusal to spend time with or acknowledge
formerly beloved family members.
Amy J. L. Baker and S. Richard Sauber, editors, Working with Alienated Children and Families:
A Clinical Guidebook (New York: Routledge, 2013), 62.
