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Contributing Factor Ten: The Malicious/ Pathological Parent
There are parents who actively try to toxify the relationship between their children and the other parent. When describing an "alienating parent" this is the classic depiction. We are finally there. Understand though that it has taken this long to get here and the other factors which lead to parental rejection are all as important and do not involve "alienation" in the sense it is most typically portrayed.
The motivation of the malicious parent is derived from numerous places of psychological suffering and/or disturbance. The clinical presentation is usually one of character or "personality" disorder, like borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality, dependent personality. The two most common dynamics which underlie the motivation for one parent to toxify the relationship between the child and the rejected parent are revenge and fear of abandonment.
Revenge
A parent who feels slighted or wronged by a former partner (someone who was unfaithful, dishonest, disappointing) may come to believe that their ex or soon to be ex does not deserve to right to raise the child.
"You were never a good [spouse, partner] to me, you will never be a good parent to our child, and therefore we are both better off without you."
The war cry of the most contentious custody battles has always been:
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