ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a critique of traditional psychological studies of twins and anticipated key issues. It highlights the limitations of mainstream psychological research, for example in the way in which twins are used as objects to explore other questions rather than consider their own experiences. The chapter argues that twin research in psychology has invariably treated the subjects of studies as objects and as vehicles to promote social inequalities. It uses mainstream terms that are more generally used in psychology to describe debates that are controversial and that are not accepted by critical psychologists, for example Parker (2007), or social constructionists, for example Burr (2015). Finally, the chapter critically highlights literature on social and cultural discourses of couples, being misunderstood, theories of identity and performance and social constructions of family relationships and childhood. It highlights the specific relevance of each of those aspects.
