How is a severe case of Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) characterized?
Severe alienators are fanatics who are obsessed with a hate for their former spouses. Severe alienators are often paranoid, and their paranoia involves projection. The severe alienator sees something in her- or himself and sees the same objectionable characteristic in the targeted parent. This projection allows the severe alienator to assume the role of innocent victim. False accusations of sexual abuse often arise in severe alienation scenarios, and the severe alienator will exaggerate and twist almost anything a child says in order to support such allegations. Unfortunately, this is an easy thing to do because children usually have sexual fantasies of one form or another. Severe alienators exhibit the hallmark of paranoid thinking in that they don’t respond to reason, logic, or the obvious. Severely alienated children are similarly fanatical and often share the same paranoid fantasies as the alienator parent. The mere thought of visiting the targeted parent is enough to terrify them.
