Raising Twins to Foster a Seperate Sense of Identity: a Recommendation Report

Raising Twins to Foster a Separate Sense of Identity: A Recommendation Report

Raising Twins to Foster a Separate Sense of Identity: A Recommendation Report

Jennifer Mutchler

Sheridan College

May 5, 2013

Abstract

This report explores the importance of fostering a separate sense of identity for twin children. The two most common types of twins are Monozygotic (identical) twins and dizygotic (fraternal) twins. Both identical twins and fraternal twins share a special unique bond in which Eileen Pearlman, a licensed therapist who specializes in working with twins, states, “The unique nature of the twin relationship begins with their immediate and constant exposure to each other within the womb” (2011, p. 9). This bond is one that only a set of twins will experience and it will be a part of them until death does them apart. Both identical twins and fraternal twins are born into a unique opportunity, which they have a friend by their side at all times. On the other hand, they are born into a situation where they may struggle to gain their own sense of identity. Barbara Klein describes four patterns of twinship in her book “Not All Twins are Alike: Psychological Profiles of Twinship”. These four patterns of twinship include unit identity, interdependent identity, split identity, and independent identity. each of these four patterns are based on what type of parenting a set of twins receive during infancy and as young children along with their personality characteristics. Parents are confused as how to raise twins while fostering a separate sense of identity, which leads them to parent their twin children as if they are, a ‘single unit’ instead of the unique individual they are. Parenting twin children as a ‘single unit’ hinders their ability to gain a separate sense of identity, which causes problems later in life for them.

Table of Contents

Raising Twins to Foster a Separate Sense of Identity 1

Methods 5

The Basic Understanding...