In the context of parental alienation, a “flying monkey” is a term used to describe a person, often a family member or friend, who is manipulated or recruited by an alienating parent to participate in the alienation campaign against the other parent. These “flying monkeys” may be used to spread false information, spy on the targeted parent, or otherwise reinforce the alienation. This term is derived from the classic children’s story “The Wizard of Oz,” where the Wicked Witch of the West uses flying monkeys to do her bidding. In the context of parental alienation, the term “flying monkey” is used to highlight the manipulative and destructive nature of the behavior.
I am not a mental health professional, though I was certified in Counseling Techniques. I work as a financial consultant to leading businesses and to governments in several countries.”
Modern permissiveness and the new culture of entitlement allows disturbed people to reach adulthood without proper socialization. In a book meant both for the general public and for professionals, bestselling author and psychologist George Simon explains in plain English:
•How most disturbed characters think.
•The habitual behaviors the disturbed use to avoid responsibility and to manipulate, deceive, and exploit others.
•Why victims in relationships with disturbed characters do not get help they need from traditional therapies.
•A straightforward guide to recognizing and understanding all relevant personality types, especially those most likely to undermine relationships.
•A new framework for making sense of the crazy world many find themselves in when there’s a disturbed character in their lives.
•Concrete principles that promote responsibility and positive change when engaging disturbed characters.
•Tactics (for both lay persons and therapists) to lessen the chances for victimization and empower those who would otherwise be victims in their relationships with many types of disturbed characters.
So Enablers, this is where you come in. An alienating parent relies upon individuals known as ‘enablers’ to support them in also turning on the alienated parent. An alienating parent all too often plays the ‘victim’ and in turn presents the alienated parent to you Enablers as the ‘villain’. For example, a short while ago I texted the mother of one of my children’s best friends. Prior to the separation I considered her a friend, someone that I saw often due to our children being best friends. I texted her simply asking for help in someway. I did not talk negatively about my ex, I simply stated that my ex was currently preventing me from having any contact with my children, despite there being Court Orders in place stating contact must take place. Her reply was that she was sorry for me, but she was unable to help as she did not want to upset my ex by being seen to help me.
“You Enablers are intentionally or unintentionally enabling emotional abuse of children.”
The study of the interaction and interdependence of psychological variables at various level of awareness.
Gordon, R. M. (2007, spring). The Powerful Combination of the MMPI-2 and the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual, Independent Practitioner, 84–85.
Gordon, R. M. (2007, November/December). PDM valuable in identifying high-risk patients National Psychologist, 16, (6), November/December, pp. 4.
Gordon, R.M. (2008). Early reactions to the PDM by Psychodynamic, CBT and Other psychologists. Psychologist-Psychoanalyst, XXVI, 1, Winter, p.13.
Gordon, R.M. (2009). Reactions to the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM) by Psychodynamic, CBT and Other Non- Psychodynamic Psychologists. Issues in Psychoanalytic Psychology,31,1,55-62.
Gordon, R.M. (2010).The Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM). InI. Weiner and E. Craighead, (Eds.) Corsini’s Encyclopedia of Psychology (4th ed., volume 3, 1312-1315),Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
Gordon, R.M. (2012). A Psychological Alternative to the Medically Based DSM and ICD, The National Psychologist May/June, vol. 21, 3, p. 19.
Bornstein, R. F. and Gordon, R. M. (2012). What Do Practitioners Want in a Diagnostic Taxonomy? Comparing the PDM with DSM and ICD. Division/Review: A Quarterly Psychoanalytic Forum, Fall, 6, 35.
Gordon, R.M. and Stoffey, R.W. and Perkins, B.L. (2013) Comparing the Sensitivity of the MMPI-2 Clinical Scales and the MMPI-RC Scales to Clients Rated as Psychotic, Borderline or Neurotic on the Psychodiagnostic Chart, Psychology: Special issue on Criminal Investigative Psychology, 4, 9A, 12-16. doi: 10.4236/psych.2013.49A1003.
Gordon, R.M. and Stoffey, R.W. (2014). Operationalizing the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual: a Preliminary Study of the Psychodiagnostic Chart (PDC), Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic,78,1, 1-15.
Gazzillo, F., Lingiardi, V., Del Corno, F., Genova, F., Bornstein, R.F., Gordon, R.M., McWilliams, N. (2014). Clinicians’ Emotional Responses and PDM P Axis Personality Disorders: A Clinically Relevant Empirical Investigation. Psychotherapy,Special Section: Personality and Psychotherapy, 52(2),238-246.
Lingiardi, V., McWilliams, N., Bornstein, R.F., Gazzillo, F. and Gordon, R.M. (2015) The Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual Version 2 (PDM-2): Assessing Patients for Improved Clinical Practice and Research, Psychoanalytic Psychology, 32(1), 94-115.
Huprich, S., Lingiardi, V., McWilliams, N., Bornstein, R., Gazzillo, F., and Gordon, R.M., (2015). The Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM) and the PDM-2: Opportunities to Significantly Affect the Profession.Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 35: 60-73.
Gordon, R.M., Gazzillo, F., Blake, A., Bornstein, R.F., Etzi, J., Lingiardi, V., McWilliams, N., Rothery, C. and Tasso, A.F. (2015) The Relationship Between Theoretical Orientation and Countertransference Awareness: Implications for Ethical Dilemmas and Risk Management, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
Spektor, V., Luu, L. & Gordon, R.M. (2015) The Relationship between Theoretical Orientation and Accuracy of Countertransference Expectations., Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 63(4), NP28-NP32.
Gordon, R.M., Blake, A., Bornstein, R.F., Gazzillo, F., Etzi, J., Lingiardi, V., McWilliams, N., Rothery, C. and Tasso, A.F. (2016) What do practitioners consider the most helpful personality taxa in understanding their patients? Division/Review: A Quarterly Psychoanalytic Forum, 14.
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