• Erikson’s proposition that identity is the central task of adolescence is not the norm for
most adolescents in Aotearoa in the 21st century. Discuss.
This essay topic draws on the content covered in Lectures 1-3. If you missed any of these lectures (or
aren’t sure you understood the relevant content) you can access the Panopto recordings via the
Moodle site for this paper.
In essence, the essay is asking you to discuss (critically) the idea that identity development is the
dominant psychosocial task of adolescence as indicated in Erikson’s theory. If you are not sure
where to start, consider the following:
• What do we mean by identity, and how useful is this construct?
• To what extent do people seek to identify in particular ways and adopt identity labels?
• Is the main focus of adolescence figuring out who you are, or is it something else?
• Is the centrality of identity to adolescence the product of a specific sociohistorical time
Sample Solution