The Effects of Opposite‐Sex Twinship on the Adult twin

In this small‐scale indicative study I explored the issue of individuation in relation to the life stories of a group of adult opposite‐sex twins, using a psycho‐social approach and a narrative interview methodology (Hollway & Jefferson, 2013). I found that none of the six interviewees reported having had a close relationship with their mother in infancy and childhood but five said they had had a close relationship with their co‐twin, which endured in later life. Cleaving to the co‐twin seemed to complicate and disrupt identity formation and the development of mature adult relationships. I concluded that the respondents in the study had experienced a similar psycho‐social challenge to that of same‐sex twins – how to honour their twinship while at the same time attempting to forge a unique identity – but that they seemed to have faced an additional challenge when it came to developing adult relationships with members of the opposite sex.
Source: British Journal of Psychotherapy - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Research Source Type: research