To begin with, discovering their identity is always complicated by the fact that twins often include themselves as part of one unit or set. Therefore, for twins, the oneness that Erikson discussed is achieved not by one person but by two, who believe to share an identity. Another part of this phase is the separation from the parents and the home. It is also much more difficult for twins. Research on twins has shown that twins experience an extremely close bond with one another to make up for difficulties parents may face in raising twins. Often to relieve the burden of caring for two children at once, parents of twins may encourage one twin as a parent substitute for the other. Due to this one twin may develop social dominance and be seen as almost a caretaker of the other. Twins often act as primary caregivers for one another; separation from the twin would be the chief hurdle that twins face during the identity and identity diffusion phases, not necessarily separation from the parent. Research shows that this separation of the twin pair is often the most difficult part for twins and comes with conflict and hesitation. Most psychologists who participate in twin studies have identified certain characteristics of twins that are consistent. As a result of their unusual paths toward ego development often become followers of object relation. One of the first common reactions to twinship is a …show more content…
Twins seem to fascinate people across the world due to their distinctiveness and the fact that twinship is an unusual phenomenon. Societies worldwide have developed schemas for twins that influence how twins are perceived and the roles that twins are expected to fill. Societies believe that twins are supposed to be one and the same and that differentiation amongst twin is awkward and uncommon. It is also seen as unmoral and the twins are pressured to once again be one and the same. On a basic level, the naming of twins often takes into consideration the twinship. Parents will take into consideration of using rhyming names or alliteration to signal that they are part of the same unit. This automatically labels the twins as two parts of one whole set, which is a social reinforcer of ego and identity fusion. Reinforcement and social cues often act as guides by which people shape their behavior, which then becomes internalized into