Parental Alienation Is Bad

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Dr. William Bernet, a psychiatry professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine defines parental alienation as: "a mental condition in which a child, usually one whose parents are engaged in a high conflict divorce, allies himself or herself strongly with one parent, and rejects a relationship with the other parent, without legitimate justification," (Crary). The basic aspect of parental alienation is bullying. Sour parents validate their hurt feelings by blaming their spouse for the divorce, and so they openly put down their ex when their child is present. Young children will act like sponges and absorb any opinion they hear as the truth no matter how untrue it may be, almost as if parents are brainwashing them. The damaging effects