Matthijs Koopmans, New York, NY

Abstract: Double Bind Theory has long been discredited as a viable theoretical framework to understand the relationship between schizophrenia and family interaction. Since research continues to indicate that the family environment plays a crucial role in the development and / or maintenance of the disorder, a reconsideration of the status of Double Bind is both necessary and timely. This paper utilizes a Nonlinear Dynamical Systems framework to bring the theory up to date with current dynamical thinking, and renames the resulting model N-Bind theory. The premises of N-Bind theory are discussed, and the symptoms of schizophrenia are described in light of the theory. The compatibility of N-Bind theory with the Vulnerability-Stress model is discussed, and a procedure is proposed to test the two hypotheses which postulate on different levels of analysis that Binds are more likely to occur in families with than without a schizophrenic member. Some of the implications for treatment and prevention are considered, should the theory be supported by empirical evidence.

Keywords: schizophrenia, family, nonlinear dynamics, N-Bind, social processes