| Twins represent an archetype of uniqueness and duality in ancient and contemporary societies. This thesis utilizes hermeneutic and heuristic research methodologies to explore how pairs of identical and fraternal twins attach and connect to their primary caregivers. The author's hypothesis is that twins are more likely to develop insecure attachments than singletons. The author uses personal experiences and draws from world mythology, literature, and research within the fields of twin psychology and attachment theory in order to understand the phenomenon of the twin-context---that is, the unique experience of parallel development alongside one's twin while sharing a caretaker. What is found is that a twin's sense of self and ability to connect to others is highly correlated with the mother's attachment style, and that twins do not necessarily develop insecure attachment styles based solely upon the twin-context. |
