Are differences between twins a result of mutual rivalry?

Abstract

The sexual index included in the Szondi test makes it possible to define the domains of an individual's "internal sex" or gender-especially the degree of the subject's bisexuality. This index was employed in a comparison between partners reared together in 62 monozygotic and 23 dizygotic pairs of twins. The observed incongruence in 1/3 MZ pairs would not appear to derive totally from errors of measurement. In most of these pairs it is competition which underlies the incongruence seen on the sexual index. It was further observed that the congruence here as in general in female pairs is clearly more marked than in males. A hypothesis was proposed, whereby competition for dominance is a distinctively major-tonality (masculinity) characteristic. The incongruence is more conspicuous among males because males are in general more markedly major-toned than females. This hypothesis was borne out. It is thus necessary here as in general to adopt two sex variables in parallel: external (i.e. matricular) sex and internal sex (gender). It is due to the presence of these competitive pairs that the means and especially deviations of twins' test results will consistently diverge from those in the population at large.