Moral and psychological violence on children of separated couples: Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS), two representative cases Parental Alienation Syndrome was first described by Gardner in the early 1980s as a psychopathological disorder which strikes its subjects during their developmental years when their parents are separating. It is a relational pathology seen in situations of conflictual separations and divorce, and which arises principally within the context of joint custody and guardian disputes concerning the children. Its principal manifestation is a strong and unwarranted campaign of denigration aimed at one of the parents by the other one. Gardner (1985) identified 12 aspects which characterize PAS. He put forth three levels of the syndrome: mild, moderate, extreme. Two cases of PAS are presented: the first is of an extreme level in which the alienating parent is the father, and the second, of a mild-moderate level, where the instigator is the mother.
Keywords: Separation, conflict, parental alienation, cases, strategies.