Emmerson writes that parental alienation ‘blurs the child’s ability to understand what is right and wrong and what is truth and fiction. It makes the child insecure and uncertain’.
Emmerson provides some background psychological context, including on the term ‘parental alienation syndrome’, a term which is no longer used and is seen as unhelpful. He sets out the steps for a court to consider in a case where parental alienation is alleged.