ABSTRACT
The separation of parts of the self—twin identity and individual identity—and the following loneliness and confusion related to this physical and emotional separation can have different outcomes. The teenage years bring out struggles to separate that can be overwhelming. Anger and fighting arise out of developing different friendships and different interests. In early adulthood new committed relationships make separation a part of life. On their journeys through separation twins often begin to develop emotional vulnerabilities related to their sense of self as an individual and as a twin. Mental health professionals who work with twins must understand that the road to individual identity is hard won and often overdetermined. School separation issues play out differently depending on the pattern of twinship that has been established. Parenting that helps school-age twins thrive is focused on developing the identity of each child and the quality of their twinship relationship.
