Identical twins who continue to insist on a joint identity as adults may well have been brought up by their parents to look and be identical because of their cuteness  and the ‘film star effect’  they create.  Nothing is cuter than identical little twins in frilly dresses!  Little girl twins may even put pressure on their parents to dress them alike, not wishing to look different.  Twins who are always together and have not been treated as individuals will find separation  scary and most parents nowadays in the UK understand the need for twins to have individual attention and be treated as individuals  (see TWINS AND THE FAMILY).  However genes can play a large part and research into twins separated at birth has shown that when they meet as adults they may have chosen similar outfits and find their lives have been remarkably similar.  Many identical twins are drawn to the same occupation and there have been several identical twins who have competed in the same sport in the UK.

However as already shown, see previous blog, where twins remain in the same family, one twin may take the dominant role and pressurise their twin to conform to perceived twin norms.  This can cause problems as the twins grow up and one wishes for independence and these are often the twins I see in my practice.  It can be quite scary    for one or the other to feel they are losing their lifelong partner whom they can dominate no longer.  Or perhaps the dependent twin may be frightened of losing their surrogate parent and find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that their twin may not always be there for them.  They may put pressure on their twin  to remain attached perhaps by wishing to set up home with them.

Is it any wonder that there may be twin pairs  who simply opt out of being different and just retain their childhood relationship.  Also twin pairs may allocate different tasks to each, like some old married couples,  and by staying together  remain complete.

However there are many happy twins out there who have resolved their differences and found a way of happily getting along  together or apart!

Though having mostly identical genes, identical twins may find different genes are triggered as they grow up resulting in differences between the two and changes may occur in one and not the other

It must be remembered that non-identical twins are just that and their experience of being a twin, though often a close one, will differ from that of identical twins although problems with dominance and dependence may occur..

The most important influence on all twins, like any. children, will be their parents and the twin relationship may well  reflect the parental one.

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