Which example of behavior in a family system demonstrates double-bind communication?

Question

a. A mother tells her daughter, "You make me so mad that sometimes I wish I had never had you."
b. A teenager tells her father, "You are treating me like a baby when you tell me I must be home by 10 PM on a school night."
c. A son tells his mother, "You worry too much about what might happen. Nothing has happened yet, so why worry?"
d. A wife tells her husband, "You go ahead with your bowling trip. Try not to worry about me falling on my crutches while I'm alone at home."

Answer 1

ANS: D
A double-bind communication is one that is inherently contradictory, that is, a comment that gives conflicting directions. In this case, the wife on crutches suggests that her husband should go bowling but then indicates that she will be at greater risk if he does, which in effect tells him "go ahead" and "don't do it" at the same time. This remark places the husband in a double bind, a situation in which no acceptable response exists. The distracters are clear, direct communications.