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Twins and Friendship

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Karen Thorpe
Karen Thorpe*
Affiliation:
School of Early Childhood, Queensland University of Technology, Australia. [email protected]
*
*Address for correspondence: Karen Thorpe, School of Early Childhood, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Rd, Kelvin Grove QLD 4059, Australia.

Abstract

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A growing body of literature asserts the importance of friendships for a child's emotional wellbeing, behavioural adjustment and developmental attainment. However, few studies have examined friendships in the twin situation. This paper examines the literature on friendships among children who are twins and asks two questions: (1) What are the implications of the twin situation for friendship formation? (2) How can the twin situation inform theoretical knowledge concerning friendship formation in the general population? The discussion examines the implications of the twin situation for the size and nature of twin children's friendship pool and questions whether children who are twins are more likely to be adaptive or maladaptive in their social behaviour. The paper argues for the need to study the process and mechanisms in friendship formation among twin children because the findings might inform not only studies of friendship but also behavioural genetic research.

Type
Guest Editorial
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 6 , Issue 6 , 01 December 2003 , pp. 532 - 535
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003