The texts contained in this volume are the result of years of research by several teams working independently, including psychoanalysts, clinical psychiatrists, learning theorists, and cultural scientists. Some focus more on communication styles, others more on the family as a social system, and still others on the motivation behind pathogenic parenting behaviors. Nevertheless, all three aspects are always interconnected, albeit with different emphases. The core of the book is the Batesonian teaching of the so-called 'double bind,' a communicative style that can induce schizophrenia and is best translated as 'relationship trap' or 'dilemma.' Erich Wulff.