Double-bind theory was proposed by Bateson et al (1956), who suggest that children who frequently receive contradictory messages from their parents are more likely to develop schizophrenia, because this prevents them from developing an internally coherent construction of reality.
For example, if a mother tells her son that she loves him, yet at the same time turns her head away in disgust, the son receives two conflicting messages about their relationship on different communicative levels: one of affection on the verbal level and one of animosity on the non-verbal level (one invalidates the other).
The child is unable to decide what is 'good' behaviour, and is often punished for 'wrong' behaviour.
This may lead to the child developing a false concept of reality and an inability to communicate effectively, explaining delusions, hallucinations, and disorganised speech.
Bateson did not suggest that double-bind communication caused schizophrenia on its own, but it may be a contributing factor.
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