A Framework of Motivational Beliefs Behind Parental Alienation: Initial Descriptive Data (Download)

Based on 38 alienating parents, 82 motivational beliefs were identified via a review of their clinical interviews. A motivational belief was defined as a verbatim quote that was negative about or toward the other parent. All quotes were assessed as negative, neutral, or positive by two raters. Only negative quotes that had agreement between the two raters were selected. The 82 motivational beliefs were organised into six categories: Vindictiveness, Fear, Jealousy, Excessive Overprotectiveness of the Child, Re-Enactment of Family of Origin Issues, and Parent’s Psychopathology. The highest raw number of beliefs were in Vindictiveness, Fear, and Excessive Overprotectiveness of the Child. On average, each alienating parent produced 2.27 motivational beliefs, suggesting that the motivation for alienation is complex rather than simple. The interaction between beliefs and overt behaviour needs further scientific inquiry. The goal is to understand the intricacies of parental alienation so that treatment will be more effective and efficient. These qualitative data point to a general framework of motivational beliefs in parental alienation.