The double bond theory was developed by anthropologist Gregory Bateson and his research team in Palo Alto, California (1956), is a concept in psychology that refers to conflicting relationships where behaviors of affection and aggression are expressed simultaneously, where the two are strongly emotionally involved and cannot separate from each other.
This theory was formulated to explain the psychological origin of schizophrenia, setting aside brain dysfunctions and organic hypotheses; schizophrenia remains one of the most confusing mental illnesses; in fact, several theories about its origin, some of an organic or biological nature and others of a social nature, have been postulated. Let’s take a closer look at the double bond theory.
- Gregory Bateson was born in Grantchester.
- The United Kingdom.
- On 9 May 1904.
- Was an anthropologist.
- Social scientist.
- Linguist and cybernetic.
- Whose work has had repercussions in many other intellectual fields.
- Some of his most prominent texts can be found in his books: Ecology of the Mind (1972).
- Spirit and Nature (1979) and O Fear of Angels: The Epistemology of the Sacred (1987).
Bateson and some of his collaborators such as Jay Haley, Donald Jackson and John Weakland pioneered the development of the systems perspective. In fact, in academia, he is recognized as an important figure whose appeal includes his darkness, eccentricity and the diversity of his achievements. However, growing interest in holism (comprehensive understanding of phenomena), systems and cybernetics has led other educators and students to publish their work.
For Bateson, communication is what makes human relationships possible, that is, it serves as a support; from their point of view, this includes all the processes by which one person influences others; from this perspective, the media becomes a decisive component of the social structure that needs to be analyzed.
Bateson stated that it was necessary to eliminate the double bond that appears sporadically in communication, even stated that this phenomenon is constantly seen on television, for example, in one television show a moral value is proclaimed and in the other it is violated. This creates conflicts in the viewer’s mind, especially if they are children or people with a weak critical sense.
According to Bateson, a double bond is a dilemma of communication over the contradiction between two or more messages, that way, whatever the answer, it will always be wrong, it is a communication situation that causes suffering and can lead to certain psychological disorders.
We can understand better by example. A child tries to approach his mother, who suffers emotional difficulties, she expresses how much she loves him through gestures, but the child only receives signs of verbal rejection, so the message the mother expresses verbally does not correspond to the message. his body sends the child. In this way, he finds he is trapped in a contradiction involving affection and rejection.
Another example would be the famous statement: “Be spontaneous. “A double message of impossible realization: if the person is not spontaneous, he does not follow this order. But if it does, it does not in a way conform either because it is not spontaneous, since obeying does not imply spontaneity.
The theory of double bonding is based on the analysis of communications, and more specifically on Russell’s theory of logical types. Based on this theory and observations made with schizophrenic patients, the result is a situation called “double bonding”. no matter what a person does, he can’t escape.
Bateson claimed that a person trapped by the double bond can develop schizophrenic symptoms. The central thesis of the double bond theory is that there is a discontinuity between a class and its members, since the class cannot be a member of itself. it can be the class, because the term used for the class is of a different level of abstraction.
In the pathology of real communications, this discontinuity develops continuously and inevitably; similarly, a pathology occurs in the human body when certain formal patterns in mother-child communication are broken, so this pathology is classified as schizophrenia, a serious psychotic mental disorder, where changes in thinking and language occur.
The ingredients needed to show a double link are
According to the double link theory, this complete set of ingredients will no longer be necessary when the victim learns to perceive his universe under double-link models. Any part of a double-link sequence can be enough to precipitate panic or anger.
The effect of the double link suggests that there will be a rupture in the individual’s ability to discriminate between logical types or modes of communication whenever a double-link situation occurs. This situation has the following general characteristics:
Bateson’s double bond theory is not considered solid simply as an explanation of the cause of schizophrenia, but he has emphasized the importance of communication and family models in mental health. Although the dual bond hypothesis has become obsolete in this regard, it has played an important decisive role in the evolution of systemic therapies.