The Norwegian Psychology Association gives a blank cheque to psychological violence
Lill Stella Høslom and Eivind Meland
The Norwegian Psychological Association distances itself from equal parental authority between parents with common children and turns a blind eye to contact refusal and sabotage. We believe that the association has a one-dimensional view of violence in close relationships and risks being supporters of psychological and manipulative violence. Can we trust forensic experts when their union reveals such a lack of and prejudiced understanding of violence?
Experiences with equal decision-making authority
The government's consultation document on the new Children's Act states: "The government believes that equal parental authority can reduce parental conflicts and that the measure will be good for the child."
The Norwegian Psychological Association disagrees with the government and writes in its consultation response: "We would strongly advise against the implementation of equal authority for both parents, as the most vulnerable children may become even more vulnerable."
The Norwegian Psychological Association fails to refer to relevant research when they make such a postulate. An increasing number of states in the United States have implemented legislative changes similar to those currently in the pipeline in Norway. Experience from these states shows that violence against mothers and against children decreases markedly after the introduction of legislative amendments that put parents' authority on an equal footing (Hubin, 2022). The experience is in line with data from Spain, where districts with shared custody as the legal norm are compared with districts with legislation based on primary custodial parents and non-custodial parents. The former districts have achieved a 50 % reduction in partner homicide compared to districts where the legislation is similar to the present Norwegian legislation (Fernandez-Kranz et al., 2020).
A gendered and polarized debate
In our view, the studies debunk a common misconception that intimate partner violence is primarily perpetrated by men against women as a mechanism for achieving and maintaining coercive control. We believe that perspectives that are based on this misunderstanding contribute to creating a highly gendered debate that polarizes and reduces the opportunity to examine other perspectives. Are mothers exclusively victims of violence, or is it conceivable that some parents, regardless of gender, use relational violence with their children as a weapon? Is it conceivable that violence is a universal human problem where different types of violence are perpetrated by both mothers and fathers?
We would recommend a gender-inclusive perspective that targets all types of violence, including relational violence where children can be used as means to gain power and control over partners. Therefore, professionals and the courts must be able to have different perspectives, backgrounds and qualifications, in order to identify how intimate partner violence involving children involved as means of force is exercised, regardless of whether it is men or women who orchestrate the violence.
Parental hostility and turning a blind eye to the problem
We believe that there is a fear of contact when it comes to the phenomenon of parental hostility and parental alienation (FF). We believe this contributes to creating an increase in conflict-driving and violence-promoting spaces. Legislation with equal and mutual parenthood, such as in the United States and Spain, on the other hand, can help prevent such forms of violence. When the Norwegian Psychological Association attacks equal parental authority, they indirectly contribute to the maintenance and strengthening of poisoned and conflictual relationships. In this way, the association inadvertently turns itself into spokespersons for psychological and relational violence with a great potential for harm to parents and children.
A study from the University of West London conducted by Ben Hine and Jennifer Harman, concerning hostile behaviour, documents severe mental stress with PTSD symptoms, depression, and suicidal thoughts in victims. It also documents that alienating behaviour is very widespread and poses a significant public health problem (Hine et al., 2024). The study shows the necessity to identify parental hostility as family violence, increase mental health support, train professionals, and create support groups to offer adequate counselling to families.
The Norwegian Psychological Association turns a blind eye to such phenomena. They are even reluctant to use the term contact refusal and sabotage, because, according to the consultation response, it "insinuates an intentional act by a saboteur". We marvel at such a narrative. Do they turn a blind eye to how a saboteur actually preys on victims?
What does this do to the symmetry of power, the conflict and to the child's ability to have contact with both parents?
Knowledge and measures needed
The first priority should be that the children come in for immediate treatment in the event of high conflict, in order to be able to reveal all types of violence, not just physical violence or abuse. In this way, the child can continue to have contact with good enough parents and not risk becoming alienated, or remaining in a home exposed to violence. The Norwegian Psychological Association should know that the consequences for children who are manipulated and brainwashed are that they are influenced to create a distorted picture of reality that leads to mental and social ill-health (Harman et al., 2018).
Measures are lacking, and it shocks us that the government's consultation document recommends more of the same thing that has not worked: more conversations at the family counselling office.
When children are to be heard, it is very important that their real voice is heard and is not an expression of a distorted image after manipulation, dissonance and dissociation. It is all the more important to recognise and raise awareness of domestic violence, including parental alienation through new legislation. If we don't, we're playing Russian roulette with children's mental and physical health.
Blank power of advocacy for psychological violence
We had expected the Norwegian Psychological Association to recommend remedies against all forms of violence, supplemented with remedial measures that could complement the proposal for a new Children's Act. The Norwegian Psychological Association is one of the associations that should have the most knowledge about relationships with psychological violence, how it has affected family constellations for many years before the breakup, and how the violence continues after the breakup, whether it is men or women who are exposed. Instead, they choose to give a blank cheque to psychological violence against parents and children.
References
Fernandez-Kranz, D., Nollenberger, N. & Roff, J. (2020). Bargaining Under Threats: The Effect of Joint Custody Laws on Intimate Partner Violence. IZA - Institute of Labour Economics. https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/13810/bargaining-under-threats-the-effect-of-joint-custody-laws-on-intimate-partner-violence
Harman, J. J., Kruk, E. & Hines, D. A. (2018). Parental alienating behaviors: An unacknowledged form of family violence. Psychological Bulleting, 144(12), 1275–1299. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000175
Hine, B., Harman, J. J., Leder-Elder, S. & Bates, E. (2024). Alienating behaviours in separated mothers and fathers in the UK. University of West London. https://www.uwl.ac.uk/sites/uwl/files/2024-04/Alienating%20behaviours_v3.pdf
Hubin, D. (2022). Shared Parenting and Child Maltreatment: Data from Ohio and Kentucky National Parents Organisation. https://www.sharedparenting.org/sharedparentingnews/shared-parenting-and-child-maltreatment-data-from-ohio-and-kentucky