REJOINDER TO GARDNER'S “COMMENTARY ON KELLY AND JOHNSTON'S ‘THE ALIENATED CHILD: A REFORMULATION OF PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME’”

  1. Janet R. Johnston1,
  2. Joan B. Kelly2

Article first published online: 15 MAR 2005

DOI: 10.1111/j.174-1617.2004.tb01328.x

Issue

Family Court Review

Family Court Review

Volume 42, Issue 4, pages 622–628, October 2004

Additional Information

How to Cite

Johnston, J. R. and Kelly, J. B. (2004), REJOINDER TO GARDNER'S “COMMENTARY ON KELLY AND JOHNSTON'S ‘THE ALIENATED CHILD: A REFORMULATION OF PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME’”. Family Court Review, 42: 622–628. doi: 10.1111/j.174-1617.2004.tb01328.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Dr. Janet R. Johnston, professor of Justice Studies, San Jose State University, is a specialist in research and clinical interventions with high-conflict and violent divorcing families, parental abduction, and alienated children. She is co-author of the books Impasses of Divorce and In the Name of the Child.

  2. 2

    Dr. Joan B. Kelly, a psychologist, was director of the Northern California Mediation Center in Corte Madera for 20 years. Her research, writing, and practice over 35 years focused on children's adjustment to divorce, custody and access issues, divorce mediation, and Parenting Coordination. Now semiretired, she is teaching seminars, writing, and enjoying golf and weaving.

  1. Authors' Note: The research reported in this Commentary was made possible by a grant to the first author from the Amini Foundation for the Study of Affects.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 15 MAR 2005
  2. Article first published online: 15 MAR 2005

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Keywords:

  • high-conflict divorce;
  • child custody;
  • parental alienation syndrome

In this reply to Richard Gardner, we outline our points of disagreement with his formulation of parental alienation syndrome (PAS), showing that his focus on the alienating parent as the primary cause of children's negative attitudes and rejecting behavior toward the other parent is overly simplistic and not supported by findings from recent empirical research. It follows that we strongly object to Gardner's recommendations for legal and mental health interventions with alienated children as well as the use of the term PAS when referring to this problem.

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