When the mirror breaks

Meaning-making in twin loss

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12094841
AutoresMichal Mahat-Shamir (0000-0002-3630-5573, Ariel University, autor de correspondencia), Hagit Freireich-Eyal (Ariel University)
Año2025
Páginas1-10
Fecha de publicación2025-09-05
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaDeath Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0748-1187 • E-ISSN: 1091-7683
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/07481187.2025.2556111
PMID40911492
OpenAlexW4414011570
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas30

Despite well-documented intimacy within twin relationships, meaning-making processes following twin loss remain underexplored. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this study investigated how individuals reconstruct meaning after losing a twin. Semi-structured interviews with eleven adult twins who lost a twin identified two primary themes: (a) physical amputation and (b) alone in a world meant for two. Participants utilized embodied metaphors like "amputation" and "tear," emphasizing the existential rupture and incompleteness resulting from their loss. Twinship was depicted as fundamentally relational, shaping self-perception and life narratives. Findings underscore the need to recognize bereaved twins as a distinct group requiring specialized therapeutic support, guided by relationally sensitive meaning reconstruction approaches. Future research should examine cross-cultural contexts and potential differences between identical and fraternal twins

Cognitive psychology · Meaning (existential · Psychotherapist · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology