הקשר שבין ניכור הורי בילדות לבין מוטיבציה להתנהגות בבגרות בתיווכו של המשתנה רגישות לדחייה

The main goal of this study was to examine the relationship between the experience of parental alienation in childhood and motivation for behavior in adulthood, mediated by sensitivity to social rejection. The study included254 women (51.2%) and men (48.8%) who are children of divorced parents. The study was conducted through questionnaires. The results show that the variable ‘sensitivity to social rejection’ mediates the relationship between the experience of parental alienation in childhood and motivation styles, but only concerning motivation for revenge and not regarding avoidance or forgiveness,in a sample that included men and women. This study’s contribution is in presenting a mediation model of long-term interpersonal implications that accompany a child who experienced parental alienation into adulthood. Thus,this study helps raise public awareness to the fact that a child who suffered parental alienation carries difficult scars into adulthood. These findings shed light on the importance of preventing cases of parental alienation by therapists and welfare workers. Also, the study suggests directions of focusing on significant perceptions to treat the alienation phenomenon, in order to help decrease revenge feelings that could manage the adult lives of children who experienced parental alienation and in reducing their high sensitivity to rejection.