OK, I may get flamed for this, but here goes.
A couple of weeks back Bystander at The Magistrate's Blog wrote a post in which he expressed his irritation at a domestic violence victim being described in court as a 'survivor'. At the time, I thought he was getting het up over not a lot - yes, it's true that only a very small number of domestic violence victims are killed and yes it is therefore somewhat dramatic to call them 'survivors' but, hey, it's not worth getting hot under the collar about it.
Now I'm not so sure. This morning I received the latest e-bulletin from Resolution and in it is an article about 'Parental Alienation Syndrome' (PAS) which includes a quote from someone described as an "adult survivor of PAS". Now this does irritate me. Has anyone ever died from PAS? No. Well, in that case it is completely meaningless (not to say misleading) to use the term in this context. Such hyperbolic over-dramatisation will not do anything for those who have suffered PAS, and may result in a complete misunderstanding of a serious issue that can affect many children disputes.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
12 comments:
Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. Constructive comments are always welcome, even if they do not coincide with my views! Please note, however, that comments will be removed or not published if I consider that:
* They are not relevant to the subject of this post; or
* They are (or are possibly) defamatory; or
* They breach court reporting rules; or
* They contain derogatory, abusive or threatening language; or
* They contain 'spam' advertisements (including links to any commercial websites).
Please also note that I am unable to give advice.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hi John. I read the Resolution article and interpreted "survivor" as "one who has overcome the difficulties of experiencing x".
ReplyDeleteSurvivor is a little shorter :)
Also, I believe it could help those who have been emotionally traumatised to deal with their issues.
(Ooh, listen to me: sounding like a liberal all of a sudden. Must go off and do something macho...)
Yeah, go away and hug some trees, you bleeding-heart liberal! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThere will be no flaming, Dragon is too busy digesting Lord Faquaad. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is people who suffer domestic violence, or as in this case PAS, often view themselves as oppressed victims and treatment programmes encourage them to think of themselves as having overcome the hardships. Hence, the wide use of "survivor" when dealing with DV.
Hi Fiona,
ReplyDeleteI did think of you when I wrote the post, but I have no problem with the context of the word 'survivor' in your case - I hope you weren't offended.
I take your point (and the similar point made by headless), but I still don't like the melodramatic use of the word. Perhaps I'm just becoming a grumpy old man!
Not in the least offended.
ReplyDeleteI read your comment and I am furious.
ReplyDeleteWhat is irritating to me is when people make assumptions about any abusive situation without facts. Parental Alienation is a series of damaging behaviors that can, indeed, lead to the death of a parent and/or child.
Just off the top of my head I can think of the 'Shooting of Dr. Rick Lohstroh', where he was shot in the back by his then 10-year old son. We also have Pamela Richardson, author of 'A Kidnapped Mind', whose teenage son committed suicide.
The 'victims' or 'survivors' are not to blame for negative behavior when the real culprit is the environment in which the child is forced to function.
Please do us all, who are fighting to stop parental alienation, a favor and get your facts straight before your perception is seen as valid truth. Thanks!
My facts are perfectly straight, thank you. PAS didn't shoot the father, the son did. PAS didn't kill the boy, he killed himself. Even if this were not so, Bystander's point still stands: nearly all of the people involved in PAS survive, so over-dramatization is meaningless and misleading. Where will such hyperbole end: "I am a survivor of crossing the road"?
ReplyDeleteLillet38, I have read your comment and ask how dare you be so rude?
ReplyDeleteUnless you learn some manners, perhaps you should avoid using the internet.
Thanks!
John,
ReplyDeleteI agree "survivor" does sound melodramatic but I have the same problems with "alienation" and "syndrome."
As someone who worked in mental health for a number of years I think "syndrome" in this context is the wrong application. In the Royal College of Psychiatrists report into court work published earlier this year it was said "Care should be taken when the issue is one of novel psychiatric conditions for which there is an uncertain evidence base or a condition, such as ‘battered woman syndrome’, ‘false memory syndrome’, ‘Stockholm syndrome’ or ‘sick building syndrome’, that may be recognised by the courts but for which there are no recognised diagnostic criteria, or no general agreement to the syndrome’s nature, or even no agreement as to its existence."
The use of "alienation" implies that one parent has turned the child against the other but in my experience a child's extreme rejection of a parent is far more complicated than that, often with the whole family implicated, and the term ratchets up grievances as evidenced above.
The article Misconceptions About Parental Alienation in the Resolution e-bulletin touches on the complexities
I agree entirely. I've never used the term 'parental alienation syndrome' myself.
ReplyDeleteI have come across this article/blog. I was a child of parental alienation. I respect people and their opinions but with all due respect I did survive this ordeal in my life. I see you have a friend as well who uses this word.
ReplyDeleteI would still consider myself a survivor. I lived through it. I am not in your shoes and you are not in mine. I have dealt with the pain and anguish that I did not deserve from the hands of one of my parents.
The def. of survivor is as follows
1. a person or thing that survives.
2. Law. the one of two or more designated persons, as joint tenants or others having a joint interest, who outlives the other or others.
3. a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks
Yes, you survived, as do nearly all people involved in PAS. If the description helps you, then great, but describing yourself as such to others may do you a disservice.
ReplyDelete