Double bind

Double Bind, a communicative situation where a person receives different or contradictory messages. The term was coined by the anthropologist Gregory Bateson, and was an attempt to explain the cause of schizophrenia from an anti-biologist perspective. The contradictory message-complex can originate from one or several people. For example, a mother can be the cause of double-bind by saying one thing ("Tim, go to bed"), and by mediating another message through body language (lying totally indifferent in front of the TV). But there are also situations where several individuals involved in producing the double bind effect. A subordinate being assigned two contradictory tasks ("Get me some coffee";"You're not supposed to make coffee, your assignment is to never leave that phone"), is a situation that presupposes two persons in addition to the victim.