Parental alienation

a dialogue between Brazilian and United States of America law

Abstract

Parental alienation is a process by which many children and adolescents are subjected, with a significant increase in patients alienated from one of the parents in recent decades worldwide. This article aims to show that parental alienation generates severe consequences, that the psychological and legal approach to the problem within the Brazilian and American social perspective is necessary, comparing them and verifying similarities in order to prevent, remedy and expand the discussion, on parental alienation, to preserve childhood and adolescence. The present research will use the comparative method, together with the deductive approach that consists of analyzing the particular manifestations of the phenomenon under investigation, comparing them and removing the common characteristics from the Brazilian and American perspective. The recognition of parental alienation requires from those involved a greater understanding of its impacts, and of how family conflict negatively influences the development of children. When analyzing the behaviors in the Brazilian/American sphere, it is evident that the awareness combined with laws and jurisprudence in order to curb parental alienation makes the marital rupture occur in a more orderly and civilized way, protecting children and adolescents for the benefit of healthy growth breaking the vicious cycle of parental alienation.