double bind
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Idioms, Wikipedia.
double bind
[dŭ´b'l bīnd´]a type of paradoxical communication or interaction in which one person demands a response to a message that contains mutually contradictory signals (verbal or nonverbal). The other person is unable to comment on the incongruity or to escape the situation.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
dou·ble bind
a type of personal interaction in which one receives two mutually conflicting verbal or nonverbal instructions or demands from the same person or different people, resulting in a situation in which either compliance or noncompliance with either alternative threatens one of the needed relationships.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
double bind
n.
A psychological impasse created when a person perceives that someone in a position of power is making contradictory demands, so that no response is appropriate.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Psychiatry An interpersonal dilemma in which a person is presented with mutually contradictory messages by another person, usually one who is respected by, or who has authority over, the person receiving the ‘mixed message’
Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.