The term **”Catch-22″** originates from the 1961 novel *Catch-22* by American author **Joseph Heller**. In the book, the phrase refers to a paradoxical rule encountered by U.S. Air Force bomber pilots during World War II. The specific “catch” described in the novel is that a pilot can be excused from dangerous missions if he is considered insane, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty on the grounds of insanity, this request demonstrates his rational concern for his own safety and therefore proves he is not insane. Thus, there is no way for the pilots to escape their dangerous missions—a no-win situation.

“Catch-22” has since become a term used in everyday language to describe any contradictory, self-defeating set of rules or a situation from which there is no escape due to mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.