"What happened to twins throughout history is interesting, but also tragic reading," said the clinical psychologist at the presentation of the KINCS study volume.
The Mária Kopp Institute for Population and Family Studies (KINCS) recently presented a study volume entitled Twin Research in Social Sciences in Budapest, in which the stereotypes related to twins and the social expectations associated with them are presented.
Clinical psychologist Emőke Bagdy, professor at the Károli Gáspár Reformed University, mother of twins, said in her greeting:
"Being here is an elevated spiritual feeling for me, since science is always an open door where one can escape from personal troubles. So here I am as a concerned twin mom. It would be great if my daughter could be here as well, who was able to get out of the twin grief and started dealing with the issue of twin loss."
Emőke Bagdy spoke about grief for the first time since the loss of her son
The professor emerita also mentioned that there will be a community in which they will work together with his daughter, Noémi Császár, who is also a psychologist. "I myself recommend the possibility of joining this," added the specialist somewhat enigmatically, and then emphasized:
being a twin is actually a symbol of difference. I am different, you are different.
If I ask what it's like to be a twin, the parties usually answer, "I don't know, because I've never been a non-twin."
"How am I different if I'm a twin", asked the clinical psychologist, to which he gave the answer.
"From here on, the world opens up and society, relationships, the family and social structures in which we live in relationships come in"
he listed.
"It's a fantastic topic," he stated, and then quoted Nancy Segal, the internationally known head of the twin school in California, with whom he agreed that
the twin situation is a model situation.
He then continued by saying that “we are social beings, we cannot live without each other. A relationship is a relationship, a relationship is subjective, and everyone is a unique treasure of the universe. (…) There is something we have in common as creatures, but above that is the subject, which is unique. That is why we are the unique stars of the universe. Even the twins are two constellations. So if we approach the question from this point of view, an exciting area opens up for us."
Evil spirits or divine emissaries?
The specialist psychologist also cited the work of Alessandra Piontelli, in which the author wrote about how
"socialization begins in the womb, the twins are already in a relationship with each other, because they are together, and they come into contact with each other on a cellular level, and then on a certain behavioral level as well".
Emőke Bagdy also emphasized the cultural historical significance of the book, as the author went through how society related to twins, and at the same time to otherness and uniqueness in different eras.
"It can be both a blessing and a curse. (…) If I live in a culture that says that children are evil spirits, they came into the world in pairs, let's destroy them, then the mother will be persuaded to kill her own twin children. Cultural pressure is therefore decisive. (…) We are so influenced, we want to belong to the majority"
he emphasized.
“But if the culture tells us to put the twins in a sacred place, let them be gods, let us worship them, then they separate them. (…)
It's an interesting but also tragic read about what happened to twins throughout history"
- pointed out the professor.
Featured image: MTI/Csilla Cseke
