What is a catch 22 and what are some real life examples?
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A catch-22 is a problem (or catch) in a situation that doesn’t seem to have any possible solution – a problem that there’s no escape from. The classic Catch-22 in the original novel was about fighter pilots. The hero of the book, Yossarian, tries to get himself discharged from the Army Air Force, because he doesn’t want to be killed. So he tries to claim he’s insane to the army psychologist. Unfortunately, the catch is that only an insane person would *want* to fly combat missions, so by trying to escape his situation, he proves that he’s sane, and therefore *has to* fly those dangerous missions. There’s no escape, Catch-22.
One of the classic examples in the real world is found by young people applying for jobs. Even entry level jobs often ask that you have several years of work experience (in that field) to apply. But the only way to get work experience is by applying to and working entry level jobs.
Or, a problem that my friend experienced when he was preparing to move to a new country for work. He tried to rent an apartment to live in while staying there, but they required a bank account in that country in order to rent a place. He tried to open an account with a local bank, but they required a local address in that country in order to open an account with them. So he couldn’t have one without the other – it took a few annoying phone calls before he managed to convince someone at the bank how absurd the situation was, and to make an exception to allow him to open an account.
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