Parental alienation occurs when one parent turns the children against the other.
Sibling alienation happens when one adult sibling wants to push aside another.
Sibling alienation can occur at any point, especially when one seeks control of care-taking or inheritance with aging parents.
Targeted individuals must be knowledgeable about alienation to prevent unfair outcomes, especially in court.
Courts are likely to become involved due to false charges issued by alienating individuals.
Psychologist Jennifer Harman and colleagues established that parental alienation is a serious form of domestic abuse.
Poisoning children against the other parent has long-lasting and devastating mental health consequences.
Similarly, adult siblings poisoning others can lead to family divisiveness, harm to the elderly parent, and emotionally and financially draining court battles.
What Motivates Sibling Alienation?
Motivations for false claims among adult siblings about harming the aged parent or unequal inheritance often have roots in sibling rivalry or a desire to prove greater parental love.
Money can also be a significant factor.
An alienating sibling may prefer the parent’s death over spending on costly medical care that could reduce the inheritance.
Inheritance issues emerge after death, and alienating siblings, feeling entitled to more, spread negative innuendos about the targeted sibling to sway others.
Longstanding hostility is a key indicator of alienation. Siblings spreading false accusations and isolating the targeted one likely exacerbate the situation near the parent’s death.
The alienating sibling’s sense of unfair treatment arises from an erroneous and excessive expectation.
This expectation often develops due to character pathologies like narcissism or borderline personality disorder.
Narcissism leads to a selfish belief in deserving more than others. Borderline personality disorder causes intense emotions and hostility, often directed at family members.
A willingness to lie, possibly fueled by mental health disorders, enables the spread of false accusations without guilt.
Alienating siblings start by poisoning family opinions and then expand false narratives to the parent’s wider circle, including friends, relatives, caretakers, doctors, and nurses.
This prepares them for court battles where collateral figures may side with the alienator.
Read more: Five facts you should know about Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson
Legal Battles
When these cases reach court, legal professionals must be aware of critical factors.
Alienating siblings misuse the court system to challenge medical decisions and increase their inheritance unfairly.
Legal professionals should watch for three key phenomena to identify alienation:
Lies
Alienators frequently fabricate facts, spreading false reports to family, submitting false claims, or making baseless accusations in court.
Projection
Accusations may describe the accuser rather than the accused. For example, calling the targeted sibling greedy might reveal the accuser’s own behavior.
Selfishness
Alienators prioritize personal gain, disregarding family welfare. Examples include seeking medical power of attorney to block caregiving efforts or manipulating a will for personal benefit.
In one case, an alienator took valuable art before allowing siblings to divide parents’ belongings.
In another, changes to the mother’s will favored the alienator over a severely disabled granddaughter.
T Bag, J.D., LL.M. Professor of Law and Mediation Expert in Family and Siblings Property Disputes
Education:
- J.D., Conflict Resolution and Mediation, Harvard Law School
- LL.M., Estate Planning and Family Law, Yale Law School
Experience:
- Over 15 years of experience mediating complex family property disputes, including estate conflicts and business succession issues.
- Extensive background in facilitating negotiations between siblings and other family members to preserve relationships and family wealth.
- Recognized authority on the legal and psychological aspects of property disputes among family members.
Publications:
- “Mediating Family Property and Estate Conflicts: Keeping the Peace and Preserving Family Wealth” – A comprehensive guide on the advantages of mediation over litigation in family disputes.
- “Negotiating Principles of Entitlement in Sibling Property Disputes” – An analysis of entitlement principles applied in sibling conflicts over property.
Professional Affiliations:
- Member of the American Bar Association, Section of Dispute Resolution
- Fellow at the Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution, University of Missouri
Awards:
- Recipient of the Excellence in Mediation Award from the National Mediation Conference
- Honored with the Distinguished Mediator Award by the International Mediation Institute
Teaching:
- Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, teaching courses on family law, estate planning, and conflict resolution.
- Guest lecturer at various law schools across the USA, sharing insights on mediating family property disputes.
Consulting:
- Provides expert consulting services to law firms and families on matters related to inheritance, property rights, and intergenerational wealth transfer.
- Advises on creating legal frameworks that minimize conflict and promote fair resolution in family property disputes.
Philosophy:
- Believes in the power of mediation to resolve conflicts while maintaining family harmony and protecting privacy.
- Advocates for creative and compassionate solutions that address the underlying emotional dynamics of family disputes.
Contact Information:
- Email: tbag@usamediationexpert.edu
- Office: Department of Law, University of California, Berkeley