double bind
2
8.1
- noun
- /ˈdʌbəl baɪnd/
- Specialized
:
doble vínculo
- In her job, she faced a double bind where pleasing her boss angered her team.
- caught in a double bind
- double-bind conflict
- point to the double bind
It speaks to the constant double bind of these relationships.
- It speaks to the constant double bind of these relationships.
- These relationships are what we call chronic double binds.
- So I, I do want to emphasize that somebody was like, ah, like, was this a double bind?
Examples
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It speaks to the constant double bind of these relationships.
-
Gender stereotypes also subject women to double standards and a double bind.
Academic text (2017) -
Yet this puts them in a double bind.
Fiction book (2001) -
There, Joe reveals the double bind he is in.
Academic text (1995) -
In this society, men are caught in a double bind as far as "creepiness" is concerned.
Blog text (19) -
Now Managalase leaders find themselves in a classic double bind.
Academic text (1991) -
The double bind confronting the isolated self is located at the very heart of modern experience.
Academic text (1993) -
One point such a book would no doubt make is that stigmas are often double binds.
Academic text (1998) -
Consequently, Tuareg face a double bind arising from contradictions between cultural values and economics.
Academic text (1992) -
However, Judith Butler, reading Jane Gallop's performance, might argue that Gallop is in a double-bind situation.
Fiction book (1993)
Synonyms
68
6.5
A difficult situation that is hard to get out of
18
9.6
A situation where you cannot win because rules block every choice
How Conflicting
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'double' (twofold) and 'bind' (a difficult situation) combine transparently to suggest a twofold or doubled problematic situation, so learners who know both words can grasp a general sense of the term. However, the specialized, conventionalized nuance — that it specifically denotes mutually conflicting demands (often from an authority) creating an inescapable dilemma — is not fully predictable from the parts and requires prior exposure, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Double bind may come from the simple image of being tied up twice: double means two and bind means to tie, so imagine two ropes pulling you in different directions. That's why double bind describes a situation where you are 'stuck' between conflicting demands and cannot please either side.