Self-esteem may be referred to as the relationship that one has with oneself. As such, twin esteem may be considered as the relationship that twins have with themselves. One assessment of self-esteem separates self-esteem into two categories: core and situational. Core self-esteem is that self-esteem that is developed throughout early childhood while situational self-esteem is developed and maintained by successfully accomplishing tasks in life that provide a feeling of self-satisfaction. When core self esteem is weak, it is more difficult to bounce back after a setback or loss in adulthood. A weak sense of self-esteem may manifest itself into chronic social anxiety, phobias or addiction, but it doesn't have to.

In addition to core and situational self-esteem, the assessment defines two other layers of self-esteem: personal and impersonal. Personal self-esteem is a measure of the degree of good feelings that result from intimate and family relationships. Impersonal self-esteem is more concentrated on the degree of good feelings resulting from careers, community involvement and more public relationships. Impersonal relationships are developed with persons who only get to know an edited version of the real you. It is the feelings acquired through the development of personal self esteem that are most vulnerable to rejection since the rejection is from those who should know you best.

Research indicates that core self esteem is formed by the age of 10 or 11. Some people approach adulthood with more or less self-esteem based on their childhood experiences. Life situations may overcome those feelings of low self-esteem that are brought into adulthood, particularly when positive momentum builds upon success at home and at work. Low self-esteem is a form of fear that evolves as one is robbed of self-esteem. Robbers of self-esteem include indecisiveness, negative judgment, self doubt, comparisons, impatience, low self trust, the inner critic, fear of making the wrong decision, decisions that fail, not being good enough, being rejected and failing.

The analysis concludes that self esteem can be changed by choosing thoughts and experiences that builds upon rather than rob you of self-esteem. While core self-esteem is based upon the relationship that you build with yourself throughout childhood, you are not limited to it. You can always modify self-esteem and recover from a setback.

The same applies to twin esteem. The healthiness of twin esteem is based upon the relationships that twins develop early in childhood. When one twin tends to loose self-esteem based upon feelings that the other twin is better, happier, more successful, etc., or vice versa, those feelings can be overcome by a healthy level of engagement with family, friends, the community and the world. The mind can be used both constructively and destructively, depending upon one's choice and degree of mental stability. Low self-esteem can be conquered by not allowing destructive thoughts to overcome the harmony that twins develop with each other. They should concentrate on those thoughts that bring about peace of mind in the absence of conflict.

One study evaluated self-esteem using twin pairs. The study was conducted under the premise that self-esteem is a reflection of socialization and interpersonal experiences that may differ considerably between the genders. The study found that individual differences in self-esteem in both men and women were best explained by genetic and individual-specific environment factors. Heritability estimates were similar in women and in men. The same genetic factors that influenced self-esteem in women also influenced self-esteem in men. The results are inconsistent with other findings that indicate that individual differences arise from socialization experiences both within and outside the home of origin, even though they differ widely for the two genders. Instead, a significant proportion of the difference in self-esteem is due to genetically influenced temperamental variables that are the same in men and women.

References:

http://successinmind.org/PDFs/The_High_Cost_of_Low_Self_Esteem.pdf

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Gifted-Children-3267/2008/3/Identification-Gifted-Twin.htm

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9854281