Double Binds: Family and Divorce

In life, there are numerous double binds; situations in which a person cannot make the "right" choice. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place, so to speak. The person tries very hard to make the decision that pleases everyone as well as themselves, but sometimes there are no easy answers to double binds, a decision needs to be made and one party will need to be disappointed. Situations like these include the "Catch 22" reference, and as Bateson exemplified, the popular movie "Alice in Wonderland" shows a clear double bind: the bread and butterfly, needs to drink the tea in order to survive, but by drinking the tea, its sugared head will dissolve, therefore killing it. The bread and butterfly is "damned if he does, and damned if he doesnt".

In my double binds project, I chose to focus on those situations classified as double binds within divorced families. Coming from a divorced family, and being an only child as well, I have first hand knowledge of the complicated decisions and situations that arise when families with children split up. There are double binds that the children are forced into, double binds that the parents are forced into, and even double binds that the step-parents are forced into. Sometimes there are tons of these situations all around us, but they have become so common that we dont even realize they are double binds anymore. In my presentation I offer examples of some of these instances, as well as possible consequences and solutions to them.

Double Binds.pptx

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