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It has been the purpose of my two former papers "The Fantasy of Having a Twin" (1) and "Twins, Environmental Influences on Development" (2), to show how outside influences play a part in forming the characters of twins and the relationship of twins to each other. The mother's attitude to the twins; the brothers' and sisters' reaction to this twin relationship; the particular behavior of all the various persons who come in contact with twins; all these have a direct influence. The fantasy of having a twin, common to many people and formed to counteract the disappointments of real relationships, also has, in all probability, a subtle and indirect but still effective influence on twins. A study of the relationship of twins to each other is only valuable where there is a full awareness of these other environmental and related factors. Otherwise it would be impossible to discern and distinguish the various components which make up the emotional life of twins and the emotional relationship of twins to each other.
Four sets of twins and one set of triplets were in the Hampstead Nursery during the war and were observed over periods of 1 to 4 years. The observations reported here were made on three pairs of children admitted in infancy.
| Identical Twins | Non-identical Twins, Triplets | Age at Arrival | Length of Stay |
| Bill, Bert | 4 months | 3 years, 3 months | |
| Iris, Louis |
| 1 ½ years |
| 1 year, 1 month |
| Jessie, Bessie | 4 months | 4 years, 3 months |
| Mary, Madge | 3 years, 7 months | 2 years, 11 months |
| Rolland, Jill, 1Molly | 3 weeks 2 years, 7 months |
Rolland and Jill, two of the triplets, came directly from the hospital to the nursery when they were 3 weeks old and remained until they were 2 years, 7 months. The third triplet came later and was abnormal, and therefore is not included in these observations.