Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were once considered one of Hollywood's power couples. Unfortunately, some good things never last as they took the world by surprise when they ended their 12-year relationship in a nasty divorce and custody battle that broke out in September.
Speaking of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's custody battle for their six children: 15-year-old Maddox, 12-year-old Pax, 11-year-old Zahara, 10-year-old Shiloh and 8-year-old twins Knox Jolie-Pitt and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, some family experts believed the kids might suffer from parental alienation syndrome. The reason? The Le Prince Arthur Herald cited Jolie's immediate request for sole custody and the emergence of abuse claims.
The publication also highlighted that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are "not on speaking terms" but stressed that the health of their family is far more important. But as the estranged couple's custody battle made a bitter turn after the reported baseless accusation on abuse claims, Prince Arthur Herald founding governor Barbara Kay wrote on her article that Jolie might be resorting to parental alienation practice to "encourage emotional separation" from Pitt and to "ensure legal control" of their children.
So, what exactly is parental alienation syndrome (PAS)? According to The Leadership Council, PAS is an "unsophisticated, pseudoscientific theory" that explains a child's disaffection from one parent or "allegations of abuse at the hands of one parent by blaming the other."
Parental alienation syndrome was coined by the late Richard A. Gardner, M.D. The theory depicted the preferred parent "as an evil 'alienator' who is solely responsible for turning a vulnerable child against their estranged parent." Kay also added that in PAS, the fathers are often the targeted victims since the mothers are always granted the custody following a divorce battle.
Parental alienation, however, is not only devastating to the targeted parent. Based on the views of several psychiatric experts, parental alienation syndrome is a "very serious form of child abuse."
In the United States, almost one in two marriages usually ends in divorce and it affects about a million children annually. Ten percent of these divorces involve custody litigation and during the process, some children become emotionally estranged from one or both parents.
Do you think Angelina Jolie has resorted to the practice of parental alienation to ensure the custody of her children? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
