Categories of Hostile-Aggressive Parenting
Hostile-Aggressive Parenting (HAP) generally can be categorized into three levels, the first being “moderate” (the most common) and the second being “severe” and the third being “critical.” Identifying the behaviours of hostile-aggressive parents is the first step to determining the category and deciding on the necessary corrective actions to be taken.
The majority of hostile-aggressive parents falls into the moderate category. Parents in this category are often able to keep their abusive parenting behaviour from being noticed to any great extent by others or they manage to keep it at a level that others will likely turn a blind eye to it. In the severe
category, the abusive parenting is more conspicuous, with others in the community being able to identify many of the symptoms. The risk of harm to a child is greater in the serious category than with the items considered as being moderate. The campaign of a hostile-aggressive parent in the
severe category may be almost continual. In the severe category there may be frequent intervention by police and other support agencies as well as open defiance to court custody and access orders. Many of these parents have become quite bold, confident as they are that the system does little to
establish consequences for their actions.
In the “critical” category, most people would consider this behaviour highly abnormal and even dangerous to the well-being of a child. Intervention is usually required immediately. There are a minority of parents, however, whose Hostile-Aggressive Parenting is so chronic and deep-seated that they may be considered fanatical. Often parents in this category may suffer from emotional or psychological disorders. It is in this category that the hostile-aggressive parent’s behaviour towards the friendly parent and the child is likely to be alarming. The hostile parent may utilize a wide variety of hostile and aggressive tactics designed to make life difficult for the friendly parent and to disrupt their child’s relationship with the friendlier parent.
In severe cases of HAP, many of the symptoms seen in the mild to moderate category are likely to be present to a significant degree as well as one or more of the symptoms identified in the severe category. The hostile-aggressive parent’s level of hostility against the target parent can be very pronounced. The rationalization that the hostile-aggressive parent uses to justify their behaviour becomes more frivolous, and more absurd than in mild to moderate. The hostile-aggressive parent describes the other parent as all bad and attempts to program his or her hate of the other parent into the child in what is described by health care professionals as “Parental Alienation.”
Under such extreme circumstances, sanctions may be necessary against the hostile-aggressive parent. Transfer of parenting responsibilities from the hostile-aggressive parent to the target parent may be necessary so that the target parent can provide greater care, control and protection of the child and prevent further emotional harm to the child by actions of the hostile-aggressive parent.
The majority of hostile-aggressive parents falls into the moderate category. Parents in this category are often able to keep their abusive parenting behaviour from being noticed to any great extent by others or they manage to keep it at a level that others will likely turn a blind eye to it. In the severe
category, the abusive parenting is more conspicuous, with others in the community being able to identify many of the symptoms. The risk of harm to a child is greater in the serious category than with the items considered as being moderate. The campaign of a hostile-aggressive parent in the
severe category may be almost continual. In the severe category there may be frequent intervention by police and other support agencies as well as open defiance to court custody and access orders. Many of these parents have become quite bold, confident as they are that the system does little to
establish consequences for their actions.
In the “critical” category, most people would consider this behaviour highly abnormal and even dangerous to the well-being of a child. Intervention is usually required immediately. There are a minority of parents, however, whose Hostile-Aggressive Parenting is so chronic and deep-seated that they may be considered fanatical. Often parents in this category may suffer from emotional or psychological disorders. It is in this category that the hostile-aggressive parent’s behaviour towards the friendly parent and the child is likely to be alarming. The hostile parent may utilize a wide variety of hostile and aggressive tactics designed to make life difficult for the friendly parent and to disrupt their child’s relationship with the friendlier parent.
In severe cases of HAP, many of the symptoms seen in the mild to moderate category are likely to be present to a significant degree as well as one or more of the symptoms identified in the severe category. The hostile-aggressive parent’s level of hostility against the target parent can be very pronounced. The rationalization that the hostile-aggressive parent uses to justify their behaviour becomes more frivolous, and more absurd than in mild to moderate. The hostile-aggressive parent describes the other parent as all bad and attempts to program his or her hate of the other parent into the child in what is described by health care professionals as “Parental Alienation.”
Under such extreme circumstances, sanctions may be necessary against the hostile-aggressive parent. Transfer of parenting responsibilities from the hostile-aggressive parent to the target parent may be necessary so that the target parent can provide greater care, control and protection of the child and prevent further emotional harm to the child by actions of the hostile-aggressive parent.