A catch-22 is a paradoxical, no-win situation where an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or conditions that depend on each other. Essentially, it means you cannot do one thing until you do another, but you cannot do the second thing until you do the first, making it impossible to resolve the problem
. The term originated from Joseph Heller's 1961 novel Catch-22 , which depicts absurd and self-contradictory bureaucratic rules faced by World War II soldiers. In the novel, a pilot who wants to be excused from dangerous combat missions must be declared insane, but requesting an evaluation for insanity proves he is sane, so he cannot be excused. This creates a logical paradox where no pilot can avoid flying missions, no matter what they do
. In broader use, "catch-22" describes any frustrating dilemma or regulation that traps a person with conflicting requirements, often highlighting arbitrary or unfair rules that prevent escape or resolution
