 A significant proportion of estrangements involve a third party, such as a member of the extended family or the adult child's spouse.In some cases, the third party provides emotional support to the individual initiating the estrangement, providing the estranger with an alternate social support system and thus enabling the deepening of the estrangement.In other instances, the third party – either deliberately or not consciously – is actually the sole or primary cause of two family members becoming estranged.