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The Metaphor of Twinship in Personality Development
Author(s) -
Fisher Susan
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
british journal of psychotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.442
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1752-0118
pISSN - 0265-9883
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0118.1986.tb01342.x
Subject(s) - psychology , metaphor , mirroring , narcissism , identity (music) , social psychology , developmental psychology , psychoanalysis , linguistics , philosophy , physics , acoustics
. To develop one's own separate identity and sense of personal authority is a particularly difficult task within a twinship relationship. Twinship creates the additional obstacle of separating from a need‐satisfying sibling before progressing to the struggle for separation from mother. This paper examines these difficulties within the metaphor of twinship, linking them to the development of identical twins, object relationships and psychotherapeutic practice. Twinship is discussed as a schizoid phenomenon, with reference to reality, narcissism, relatedness, mirroring, dependency needs, boundaries and space.