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The 17 Strategies of Parental Alienation — Baker's Canonical Taxonomy

TL;DR. Amy Baker's foundational research (Baker 2007, Adult Children of Parental Alienation Syndrome; Baker & Fine, 2013) catalogued 17 specific behavioral strategies alienating parents use. The taxonomy gives targeted parents the vocabulary clinicians and courts actually use — and removes the framing problem that "Parental Alienation Syndrome" still triggers under Daubert. Use the strategy names, not "PAS."

Author: Alan Markson · Last reviewed: 2026-05-15 · License: CC BY 4.0 Originally published at antialienate.com/blog/the-17-strategies-of-parental-alienation.

The 17 strategies

Drawn from Baker's empirical interviews with 40 adults who experienced PA as children:

  1. Bad-mouthing the targeted parent
  2. Limiting contact between child and targeted parent
  3. Interfering with communication (calls, messages, email)
  4. Interfering with symbolic communication (photos, gifts, references)
  5. Withdrawing love when the child shows affection toward the targeted parent
  6. Telling the child the targeted parent doesn't love them
  7. Forcing the child to choose between parents
  8. Telling the child the targeted parent is dangerous
  9. Confiding in the child about adult/legal/financial matters
  10. Forcing the child to reject the targeted parent
  11. Asking the child to spy on the targeted parent
  12. Asking the child to keep secrets from the targeted parent
  13. Referring to the targeted parent by first name (instead of "Mom"/"Dad")
  14. Referring to a step-parent as "Mom" or "Dad" and encouraging the child to do the same
  15. Withholding medical/social/academic/extracurricular information + excluding the targeted parent from these activities
  16. Changing the child's name to remove association with the targeted parent
  17. Cultivating dependency / undermining the targeted parent's authority

Why this taxonomy matters legally

For 33 years (1985–2018), the "Parental Alienation Syndrome" framing was Daubert-attacked in US courts as discredited theory. Baker's strategy taxonomy reframes the harm at the behavior level rather than the syndrome level — and behavior-level claims survive Daubert v. Merrell Dow (1993, 509 U.S. 579) much more reliably. The UK High Court in Re C (Parental Alienation: Instruction of Expert) [2023] EWHC 345 (Fam) consolidated the parallel English standard.

The 2018 Harman, Kruk & Hines Psychological Bulletin meta-analysis built directly on Baker's strategy framework — establishing alienating behaviors (PABs) as a recognized form of family violence.

How to use the taxonomy in court documentation

Document specific incidents tagged to specific strategy numbers. Example log entry:

2026-04-15, 18:42 — Child reported mother said "your father is dangerous" (Baker Strategy #8 — telling the child the targeted parent is dangerous). Witness: maternal grandmother present. Evidence: child's spontaneous statement at exchange.

Researcher-named strategies beat parent-coined descriptions every time in court filings.

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antialienate.com/blog/the-17-strategies-of-parental-alienation The 17 Strategies of Parental Alienation

Citations

  • Baker, A. J. L. (2007). Adult Children of Parental Alienation Syndrome: Breaking the Ties That Bind. W. W. Norton.
  • Baker, A. J. L., & Fine, P. R. (2013). Co-parenting with a Toxic Ex. New Harbinger.
  • Harman, J. J., Kruk, E., & Hines, D. A. (2018). Parental Alienating Behaviors: An Unacknowledged Form of Family Violence. Psychological Bulletin, 144(12), 1275–1299.
  • Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 509 U.S. 579 (1993).
  • Re C (Parental Alienation: Instruction of Expert) [2023] EWHC 345 (Fam).

Disclaimer

Educational content. Not legal or clinical advice.

Author byline: Alan Markson · License: CC BY 4.0 · Originally published at antialienate.com.