Gregory Bateson’s theory of the double bond is framed in the systemic model, a conceptual framework focuses on the interrelationship and interdependence between the members of a system, such as a family, rather than on the characteristics of the components themselves.

This theory was developed with the aim of explaining the psychological causes of schizophrenia , which Bateson associated with inadequate family communication patterns.

Although the double bond hypothesis has become obsolete in this sense, it was decisive for the evolution of systemic therapy .

Biography of Gregory Bateson

Gregory Bateson (1904-1980) was an English anthropologist who made important contributions to fields as varied as linguistics, epistemology and the cybernetic sciences. This was due to his focus on systems theory, a multidisciplinary scientific framework.

His first wife was Margaret Mead , the famous anthropologist who contributed to the sexual revolution of the 1960s by studying gender roles in the indigenous tribes of the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Bateson belonged to the Palo Alto School during its initial stage. He and his collaborators, mainly Donald Jackson, Jay Haley and John Weakland, were pioneers in the development of family and systemic therapies .

In addition to the theory of the double bond, Bateson studied the evolution of organisms, the concept of homeostasis applied to psychology and anthropology, and scientific methodology, among other topics.

The theory of the double bond

Double bonds are communicative dilemmas due to the contradiction between two or more messages. This leads to the fact that, however the receiver responds, he will always be making a mistake; in short, he is told that he has to do something but also that he cannot do it.

In the double link, the messages are usually coded at different levels of abstraction; thus, there is an incongruity between the digital or content level and the analog or relationship level. The typical example is that of a mother who says “I love you” to her daughter or son, but whose body language conveys rejection.

This means that two requests or orders are made simultaneously, but it is impossible to comply with one of them without disobeying the other. According to Bateson, many people in positions of authority use double bindings as a tool to control others.

If they occur continuously, as happens in some families, these paradoxes lead the person in a position of subordination to feel anguish regarding the relationship and insecurity about his or her own perspective of reality.

Bateson described five main characteristics that define the double bond. For this to occur, these conditions must be met in a given communicative context.

1. Interaction between two people

Double bonds occur in verbal exchanges between two people. One of the individuals must feel respect for the other, who is usually defined as an authority figure.

Although normally we talk about the double bond in relation to the parents or main carers of a child, it can also occur in teachers, for example.

2. Recurrent experience

The double bond should not be understood as a one-off situation but rather as a recurring experience for the individual. For this to happen, most of the time it is sufficient for one of the parents to use the double bond on a regular basis.

Primary negative mandate

At the digital or content level of the message there is a primary negative command; this means that the sender refers to a punishment that will happen if the subject carries out (or does not carry out) a certain behaviour. In the family context this punishment usually involves the deprivation of affection or an expression of hate and contempt.

4. Secondary negative mandate

The secondary negative mandate occurs at the analogue or relational level of communication . It consists of an abstract, possibly non-verbal command that contradicts the primary negative command.

5. Negative Tertiary Mandate

Sometimes a third request also appears which prevents the receiver from escaping the dilemma . The negative tertiary mandate implies that the subject cannot meta-communicate, that is, talk about the incongruence between the primary and secondary mandates or the content and relationship levels.

The causes of schizophrenia

Bateson developed the theory of the double bond to explain the psychological causes of schizophrenia . He was of the opinion that in his time the diagnosis of this disorder was made with excessive frequency and he tried to delimit the specific patterns by which it developed.

According to this author, the alterations in thought and language that characterize schizophrenia are due to the person’s adaptation to a family context in which incongruous interactions occur. In such cases the contradictory logic of the double bond is internalised , leading the individual to escape from reality through delirium.

Although Bateson’s theory was very influential, the truth is that has never been confirmed by research . It is currently believed that the double bind can be considered one type of stressor among many that can cause the appearance of psychotic symptoms in biologically predisposed people.

Your contribution to mental health

Current theories on the etiology of schizophrenia propose a combination of genetic and environmental factors . Psychotic symptoms have a high heritability, but an environmental component (such as substance abuse or family stress) is also necessary for schizophrenia to appear.

Despite its lack of strength as a hypothesis on the development of schizophrenia, Bateson’s double bond theory put on the table the relevance of communication and family patterns in mental health. It was also one of the first psychopathological explanations based on the General Systems Theory.