Overview
Understanding Parental Alienation offers a clear, accessible starting point for anyone trying to make sense of parental alienation (PA): what it is, how it develops, and why it causes such profound harm. Opening with a grounded, user-friendly explanation of the phenomenon, the book demystifies PA without minimising its seriousness, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of its emotional, psychological, and legal dimensions. From there, the book moves into a comprehensive examination of why parental alienation happens. Drawing on attachment theory to family-violence frameworks, it brings together leading theoretical insights to illuminate the mechanisms that drive bond-breaking between parents and children. This book expands beyond previous work to examine the wider ecosystem around PA, including the role of new partners, extended family members, complex sibling dynamics, and the systems that enable the abuse to take place. The book then shifts to impact: analysing the short- and long-term consequences for every actor involved – children, targeted parents, alienating parents, siblings, and professionals encountering PA in practice. Finally, the book offers extensive practical guidance. It equips parents, practitioners, and policymakers with concrete, research-rooted strategies for recognising alienating behaviours and responding effectively. Alongside general principles for prevention and intervention, it includes tailored advice not only for affected parents but also for children and young people living through these dynamics. Accessible, yet academically robust, Understanding Parental Alienation is a multi-purpose guide for mental health professionals, legal practitioners, family-court personnel, and families navigating post-separation conflict. It delivers the foundational knowledge and practical tools needed to understand this complex issue and to begin changing it.
Full Product Details
Author: Benjamin Hine (University Of West London)
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint: Routledge
Weight: 0.453kg
ISBN: 9781041050056
ISBN 10: 1041050054
Pages: 242
Publication Date: 20 May 2026
Audience:
General/trade
,
Professional and scholarly
,
General
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Availability: Not yet available
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.
Reviews
'This marvelous book by Ben Hine, Ph.D., is not for beginners. It is an elegant, scholarly text that goes far beyond describing the destructive relationships among family members who are experiencing parental alienation. Dr. Hine explores the social, psychological, legal, and political contexts that envelop every case of this unhappy mental condition. For example, he shows how other psychological concepts—attachment theory, psychoanalysis, family systems, and interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory—create a framework for understanding alienation. And he explores how the broad landscape—such as the ecosystem and macrosystem—plays out in different countries. And there is much more in this book that will enlighten family members, mental health and legal professionals, legislators, and policy-makers.' William Bernet, M.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA 'Understanding Parental Alienation: Theoretical Insights, and Practical Solutions is a clear, balanced, and trustworthy examination of one of the most complex issues in family dynamics and family law. Accessible yet scientifically rigorous, it is an invaluable resource for seasoned practitioners and those just beginning to encounter parental alienation alike – a must-have resource that readers will find themselves returning to over and over again.' Yvonne Parnell, psychoanalyst, registered psychologist and Director of the Family Bridges Institute
'This marvelous book by Ben Hine, Ph.D., is not for beginners. It is an elegant, scholarly text that goes far beyond describing the destructive relationships among family members who are experiencing parental alienation. Dr. Hine explores the social, psychological, legal, and political contexts that envelop every case of this unhappy mental condition. For example, he shows how other psychological concepts—attachment theory, psychoanalysis, family systems, and interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory—create a framework for understanding alienation. And he explores how the broad landscape—such as the ecosystem and macrosystem—plays out in different countries. And there is much more in this book that will enlighten family members, mental health and legal professionals, legislators, and policy-makers.' William Bernet, M.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
'This marvelous book by Ben Hine, Ph.D., is not for beginners. It is an elegant, scholarly text that goes far beyond describing the destructive relationships among family members who are experiencing parental alienation. Dr. Hine explores the social, psychological, legal, and political contexts that envelop every case of this unhappy mental condition. For example, he shows how other psychological concepts—attachment theory, psychoanalysis, family systems, and interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory—create a framework for understanding alienation. And he explores how the broad landscape—such as the ecosystem and macrosystem—plays out in different countries. And there is much more in this book that will enlighten family members, mental health and legal professionals, legislators, and policy-makers.' William Bernet, M.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA 'Understanding Parental Alienation: Theoretical Insights, and Practical Solutions is a clear, balanced, and trustworthy examination of one of the most complex issues in family dynamics and family law. Accessible yet scientifically rigorous, it is an invaluable resource for seasoned practitioners and those just beginning to encounter parental alienation alike – a must-have resource that readers will find themselves returning to over and over again.' Yvonne Parnell, Psychoanalyst, Registered Psychologist and Director of the Family Bridges Institute
Author Information
Benjamin Hine, PhD, CPsychol, FHEA, is Professor of Applied Psychology at the University of West London and a leading expert in PA and domestic abuse. His extensive research on PA explores the psychological, societal, and legal dimensions of alienating behaviours, informed by both academic rigour and personal experience, having lived through parental alienation during his own childhood. Professor Hine’s firsthand insight into the emotional and relational impacts of PA, paired with his academic experience, uniquely qualifies him to write this book.
