double bind theory
E488417
Double bind theory is a psychological and communication concept proposing that conflicting messages within important relationships, especially in families, can contribute to the development of mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| double bind theory canonical | 1 |
How this entity was disambiguated
This entity first appeared as the object of triple T5039770 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.
NED1
Entity disambiguation (via context triple)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: double bind theory Context triple: [Gregory Bateson, notableFor, double bind theory]
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A.
binding
Binding is a central concept in generative syntax that explains how pronouns and other noun phrases can or cannot refer to each other within sentence structure.
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B.
Theta Theory
Theta Theory is a component of generative syntax that explains how verbs assign thematic roles (like agent or theme) to their arguments within sentence structure.
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C.
Bound
Bound is a 1996 neo-noir crime thriller film known for its stylish direction, lesbian romance, and intricate heist plot, directed by the Wachowskis and starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly.
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D.
Revised Extended Standard Theory
Revised Extended Standard Theory is a later development in generative grammar that expanded and refined Chomsky’s Standard Theory by incorporating more sophisticated treatments of syntax–semantics interfaces and constraints on transformations.
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E.
bindu
Bindu is the central point or dot in Hindu and Tantric symbolism that represents the source, unity, and ultimate reality from which all creation emerges.
- F. None of above. chosen
- G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.
NED2
Entity disambiguation (via description)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: double bind theory Target entity description: Double bind theory is a psychological and communication concept proposing that conflicting messages within important relationships, especially in families, can contribute to the development of mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
-
A.
binding
Binding is a central concept in generative syntax that explains how pronouns and other noun phrases can or cannot refer to each other within sentence structure.
-
B.
Theta Theory
Theta Theory is a component of generative syntax that explains how verbs assign thematic roles (like agent or theme) to their arguments within sentence structure.
-
C.
Bound
Bound is a 1996 neo-noir crime thriller film known for its stylish direction, lesbian romance, and intricate heist plot, directed by the Wachowskis and starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly.
-
D.
Revised Extended Standard Theory
Revised Extended Standard Theory is a later development in generative grammar that expanded and refined Chomsky’s Standard Theory by incorporating more sophisticated treatments of syntax–semantics interfaces and constraints on transformations.
-
E.
bindu
Bindu is the central point or dot in Hindu and Tantric symbolism that represents the source, unity, and ultimate reality from which all creation emerges.
- F. None of above. chosen
Statements (53)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
communication theory
ⓘ
family systems theory concept ⓘ psychological theory ⓘ theory of schizophrenia ⓘ |
| appliedTo |
family dynamics
ⓘ
interpersonal communication ⓘ psychotherapy ⓘ schizophrenia ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
family systems therapy
ⓘ
meta-communication ⓘ paradoxical communication ⓘ schizophrenia etiology debates ⓘ systemic therapy ⓘ |
| claims |
double bind situations can contribute to the development of psychosis
ⓘ
family communication patterns can influence mental health ⓘ |
| coreIdea |
a person can be trapped in a situation where any response leads to negative consequences
ⓘ
conflicting messages are often embedded in emotionally important relationships ⓘ pathological communication patterns can contribute to mental disorders ⓘ repeated exposure to contradictory messages in key relationships can be psychologically damaging ⓘ the receiver cannot comment on or escape from the contradictory communication ⓘ |
| criticizedFor |
difficulty of operationalization and testing
ⓘ
lack of empirical support as a primary cause of schizophrenia ⓘ overemphasis on family dynamics in schizophrenia ⓘ |
| describes |
chronic exposure to contradictory injunctions
ⓘ
no-win communication situations ⓘ situations where messages at different logical levels contradict each other ⓘ situations where verbal and nonverbal messages conflict ⓘ |
| developedBy |
Don D. Jackson
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Gregory Bateson NERFINISHED ⓘ Jay Haley NERFINISHED ⓘ John H. Weakland NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| field |
communication studies
ⓘ
family therapy ⓘ psychiatry ⓘ psychology ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
mid-20th century psychiatry
ⓘ
rise of family therapy ⓘ |
| impact |
contributed to systemic views of mental illness
ⓘ
influenced the development of family therapy approaches ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
communication theory
ⓘ
cybernetics ⓘ systems theory ⓘ |
| notablePublication | Toward a Theory of Schizophrenia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| originatedIn | research on communication and schizophrenia ⓘ |
| proposedBy | Gregory Bateson NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| proposesMechanism | chronic contradictory communication disrupts the ability to discriminate levels of abstraction in messages ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
attachment theory
ⓘ
communication paradox ⓘ family homeostasis ⓘ learned helplessness ⓘ paradoxical injunction ⓘ |
| status | historically important but controversial in contemporary psychiatry ⓘ |
| yearProposed | 1956 ⓘ |
How these facts were elicited
The pipeline generated the facts above by prompting gpt-5.1 with this entity's name + description and the instruction below.
Instruction
You are a knowledge base construction expert. Given a subject entity and a description of it, return factual statements that you know for the subject as a JSON list of dictionaries(triples), where keys must be "subject", "predicate" and "object". The number of facts may be very high, between 25 to 50 or more, for very popular subjects. For less popular subjects, the number of facts can be very low, like 5 or 10. # Requirements - If you don't know the subject at all, return an empty list. - If the subject is not a named entity, return an empty list. - Include at least one triple where predicate is "instanceOf". - Do not get too wordy. - Separate several objects into multiple triples with one object.
Input
Subject: double bind theory Description of subject: Double bind theory is a psychological and communication concept proposing that conflicting messages within important relationships, especially in families, can contribute to the development of mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Gregory Bateson