Milestones: A Concise History of Parental Alienation Theory (Download)

Parental alienation phenomena were described centuries before the famous paper published by Richard Gardner in The Academy Forum in 1985. Over many years, there have been numerous steps—and a few missteps—in the growth and evolution of our understanding of the identification of parental alienation, its etiology, and its diagnosis, as well as interventions for and ultimately the prevention of this mental condition. This article identifies 12 important milestones in the history of parental alienation theory: (1) parental alienation, 1804 to 1985; (2) the contributions of Richard A. Gardner, M.D.; (3) parental alienation, 1985 to 2006; (4) criteria for the diagnosis of parental alienation; (5) books regarding parental alienation by professionals and by alienated parents; (6) child and family advocacy organisations; (7) international developments regarding parental alienation; (8) 35 years of legal developments regarding parental alienation; (9) interventions for mild/moderate/severe parental alienation; (10) important publications in peer-reviewed journals; (11) an epidemic of misinformation regarding parental alienation; and (12) recent landmark events in parental alienation scholarship.