"Each ICSP presentation had the potential for impact at a magnitude I had not experienced before."
"By promoting shared parenting, we can create family environments where parental alienation can no longer flourish to the extent it does today."
form of social inequality. Diversity, particularly international, is important for science if we are to better understand cultural differences in not only people, but also laws and social institutions such as courts. In order to effectively change institutions (e.g., via legal reform), we must be able to evaluate how alternatives operate in other countries (for better or worse). The diversity of international representation I witnessed at ICSP is an envious goal for many other professional organizations I belong to in the fields of psychology and health.
In addition to the breadth of international representation, ICSP was attended by a healthy mix of researchers, social service providers and practitioners, press representatives, legal professionals, and advocates for shared parenting. This mix of individuals allowed lunch, coffee breaks, and social networking time to illustrate how the research that was presented was being perceived and (likely eventually) applied by others. In many scientific disciplines, researchers typically present to each other, often “preaching to the choir”, and available opportunities to discuss how our work can be applied rarely have immediate or significant impact. By welcomed contrast, each ICSP presentation had the potential for impact at a magnitude I had not experienced before.
Unfortunately, as is often the case when conferences are held in expensive cities like Boston, the cost of attending was prohibitive to many. I hope that future conferences are held in more affordable locations so that more individuals can attend and contribute.
I joined a large panel of experts for a session dedicated to parental alienation. The panel deliberated whether shared parenting arrange-ments could minimize the devastating impact of parental alienation on families. Dr. Richard Warshak and I agreed that the answer is a complex one. Dr. Warshak cited cases where non-custodial parents have successfully engaged in alienating behaviors during limited parenting time, and were successful in complete alienation during extended vacation times. I concurred with his statement and cited examples from my own research where some parents have 50/50 custody and yet the alienating impact of one parent is still severe. However, before the role of shared parenting arrangements in mitigating parental alienation can be truly identified, it needs to be empirically investigated. In fact, I formed several such new research collaborations at ICSP, aiming to tackle this question from a few different angles.
Finally, it was clear that globally, women are more often granted sole or primary custody than men, and shared custody is not the norm in most of the world. Therefore, I understood the frustration expressed by many male attendees. What struck me in the end was that presumptions of unequal parenting time affect people of both genders and more broadly, of all demographics of all political orientations.
Although people always walk away from conferences such as ICSP with different impressions, my overall assessment was a positive one. We can all benefit from putting aside our own painful experiences, expanding our worldview, and hearing other perspectives. When we do this, as was allowed by ICSP, we create an opportunity for many opinions and solutions to surface. And ultimately, by promoting shared parenting between two healthy parents (i.e., not in cases of violence or abuse), we can create family environments where parental alienation can no longer flourish to the extent it does today.
summer 2017 PSG 9