The past decade has seen a paradigm shift, with breakthroughs in neurology and psychology. These advancements have revealed that psychological pain is not merely a metaphor for distress but has tangible physiological and neural correlates.

Psychological pain, as described by Meerwijk et al. in 2011, is an unpleasant feeling (affective experience) of a psychological (non-physical) origin. It encompasses feelings of loss, despair, and grief, often presenting similarly to physical pain in terms of intensity and distress.

Seminowicz’s 2017 research delves into the brain’s anatomical changes in chronic pain, illustrating how persistent pain can alter brain structure and function, thereby impacting pain perception and emotional responses.

Apkarian and colleagues (2009) provided groundbreaking insights into the neural mechanisms of chronic pain. Their work, along with contributions from Thompson and Neugebauer, has shown how chronic pain involves complex brain networks, beyond areas traditionally associated with pain sensation.

Van Cleif, LMG et al.’s 2009 research highlights the progression from acute to chronic pain, emphasizing the role of both physiological and psychological factors in this transition, challenging the idea that chronic pain is merely prolonged acute pain.

Significant contributions in this field include Reiss (1991), Stewart S.H. & Asmudson, GIG (2006), and Taylor (1993), who have explored the psychological aspects of pain catastrophizing, including its impact on pain perception and management.

Studies by Crombez et al. (1999), Peters et al. (2002), Sullivan et al. (1998), and Vlaeyen & Linton (2000) have established a strong correlation between pain, especially when catastrophized, and various forms of disability, including reduced mobility and impaired daily functioning.

Research by Levy, R.L. et al. (2004) suggests that a parent’s history of pain is a significant predictor of their children experiencing pain and somatic complaints, indicating a possible genetic or environmental transmission of pain responses.

Studies by Vowles et al. (2010), Wilson A. et al. (2013), Caes et al. (2011), Leeuw et al. (2006), and Vlaeyen, JWS & Linton S. (2000) highlight how parents who catastrophize pain can influence their children’s perception and experience of pain.

Research by Goubert, L., Vervoort, T., Crombez, G. (2009) found that pain catastrophizing parents try to limit their children’s activities, they say, to reduce the child’s pain and suffering; but this claim is unfounded and untrue. Catastrophizing parents that restrict their children from engaging in activities, are  doing so —primarily to alleviate their own emotional distress ( as a precursor, to any actions intended to benefit the child ).

David Biro’s 2010 work delves into the subjective experience of psychological pain, exploring its linguistic expressions and the challenges in its communication and understanding.

Eisenberger and team’s 2013 research has been pioneering in demonstrating the neurological overlap between physical and psychological pain, showing how social rejection and emotional distress activate similar brain regions as physical pain.

Studies by Bucchioni, G. (2015) and Mokhta, R. et al. (2022) reinforce the notion that the same brain regions involved in physical pain processing are also active during experiences of psychological pain.

Research by Duckworth MP et al. (2000), Vogel, M. et al. (2029), and Ehlers, A. & Steir, R. (1995) suggests that dissociation can serve as a coping mechanism in chronic pain, affecting how pain is perceived, remembered, and reported.

Bremner, JD’s 2010 study highlights the association between childhood abuse, pain catastrophizing, and the development of chronic pain, suggesting a complex interplay of psychological trauma and pain perception.

The above research collectively undermines the parental alienation theory as it relates to children and adolescents. This theory, which posits that a child’s rejection of a parent is primarily due to manipulation by the other parent, lacks the scientific rigor evident in recent pain research. The findings in pain catastrophizing, psychological pain, and the shared neural pathways for physical and psychological pain suggest that a child’s rejecting behavior may stem from complex internal psychological states rather than external manipulation. This perspective calls for a more nuanced understanding of child behavior in familial contexts, emphasizing the need to consider internal psychological factors over simplistic explanations provided by theories like parental alienation. The depth and rigor of research in pain perception and its psychological components offer a more scientifically grounded framework for understanding children’s behavior, highlighting the limitations and potential inaccuracies of the parental alienation theory.