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Maternal Alienation

Maternal alienation is comprised of two distinct, yet overlapping psychological occurrences. The first is characterized by an emotional and/or physical withdrawal of a mother from her child. The second description is delineated by Australian scholar Anne Morris, who defines maternal alienation as a form of psychological abuse performed by violent men as a means of undermining the mother's relationship with her child and solidifying his control over family relations. Maternal alienation must not be confused with parental alienation syndrome (PAS), a controversial theory in which a parent is systematically alienated from his or her child, most often during acrimonious divorce proceedings.

Maternal alienation is particularly characterized by an emotional withdrawal of a mother from her child. It is necessary to note that the significance and depth of this withdrawal is purely subjective on behalf of the affected child. Maternal alienation is often (rightly or wrongly) equated with maternal rejection, and occurs most often because of emotional and mental difficulties experienced by the mother. A mother-child relationship that presents the dynamics of maternal alienation exhibits very little, if any of the supposed maternal instincts of warmth, acceptance, and affection. Research has found that maternal alienation can be prevented when a mother has a strong social network and at least one close confidant to provide strength and support throughout her varied maternal experiences.

Maternal alienation is important because it has direct consequences upon the child who has been alienated by their mother. These children often possess a paucity of social and emotional skills that are needed later in life. Also, many suffer from an emotional isolation that can continue the cycle of parental alienation in their family. Scientists, specifically R. P. Rohner and his academic descendants, have attempted to measure the effects of this phenomenon with the creation of parental acceptance-rejection (PAR) theory. PAR theory creates a continuum that is composed of four tenants of parenting: warmth-affection, hostility-aggression, indifference-neglect, and undifferentiated rejection.

Maternal Alienation Research

Maternal alienation has grown to have a different connotation to a small but growing group of social services providers in Australia who work closely with victims of domestic violence and child sexual abuse. These combatants against domestic violence insist that maternal alienation describes a specific pattern of abuse that so often occurs within the context of systematic violence (which is sometimes sexual) perpetrated upon women and/or children by the woman's usually male partner. Maternal alienation is characterized by a sustained isolation of a mother from her children and her usual support networks (such as family, friends, and social services providers) by convincing these people that she is either mentally ill or a bad mother.

The perpetrator's ultimate goal is to attack the deep bonds of trust that have developed between a mother and her child. These Australian advocates for women and children insist that it is a specific form of emotional abuse and they use documented, contemporary evidence from the varied fields of social science to further this belief. This form of maternal alienation takes advantage of any patriarchal underpinnings within in a society, where the abuser's explanations are logical and are often believed because of his calm and rational mannerisms; thus, the women in these situations are frequently looked upon with derision and suspicion because they are typically distressed and “emotional,” and therefore lack believability. This typical occurrence only increases the mother's isolation and furthers the goals of the abuse and its perpetrator.

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