Meaning & use
double bind
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Meanings
nouncountable
A difficult situation in which any choice you make leads to a bad result or breaks a rule.
Grammar: Countable; usually used with 'a' or 'the': She is in a double bind.
Patterns
- be in a double bind
- face a double bind
- put someone in a double bind
If she takes the promotion, she loses time with her children; if she refuses, she loses the chance. It is a real double bind.
The new rules put nurses in a double bind: they must work faster but also make no mistakes.
He described the double bind of wanting to be honest and needing to keep his job.
nouncountabletechnical
In psychology, a pattern of communication in which someone is given two messages that contradict each other, so whatever they do is wrong.
Grammar: Technical use; often appears in discussions of family therapy or communication theory.
Patterns
- a double bind situation
- create a double bind
- be caught in a double bind
The therapist explained that a child raised with a double bind may learn to distrust clear messages.
A classic double bind is when a parent says 'Come here' while turning away.
Researchers studied how double binds affect decision-making in teams.
Word forms
| plural | double binds |
|---|
Common combinations
- be caught in a double bind
- Many working parents feel caught in a double bind between career and family.
- face a double bind
- Small businesses face a double bind: higher costs and lower demand.
- put someone in a double bind
- The manager's conflicting instructions put the team in a double bind.
- a classic double bind
- Saying 'Be spontaneous' is a classic double bind.
Synonyms and how they differ
- catch-22
- A catch-22 is a trap where you cannot escape because of contradictory rules; a double bind focuses more on the emotional or psychological pressure of contradictory messages.
- dilemma
- A dilemma is any hard choice between two options; a double bind adds the idea that either choice brings punishment or failure.
- no-win situation
- A no-win situation means you cannot succeed; a double bind often implies that the rules themselves make success impossible.
Commonly confused: double bind or double-blind?
double bind vs double-blind
Double-blind describes a study where neither the researchers nor the participants know who gets the treatment; double bind is about contradictory demands.
Practice
The employees were in a ______: if they reported the error, they would be blamed, and if they stayed silent, they would also be blamed.
Choose one answer.
A double bind fits because both choices lead to blame, which is the key idea. 'Double-blind' is about research methods, and 'dilemma' is too general here because it does not capture the guaranteed bad outcome.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “double bind”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.