Final answer:
A four-year-old boy who is not allowed to initiate tasks may develop feelings of guilt and low self-esteem, as it hinders his psychosocial development of initiative versus guilt according to Erikson's stages.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Erikson's stages of development, if a four-year-old boy does not have the opportunity to initiate some tasks by himself, he may later show feelings of guilt. During the preschool stage, children are in the phase of initiative versus guilt, wherein they need to learn to plan and achieve goals through social interactions. Over-controlling parents who prevent a child from initiating tasks can stifle this development, leading to a child feeling guilty for their attempts at initiation and possibly developing low self-esteem.
At this stage, children who are successful in asserting control and engaging in tasks develop self-confidence and a sense of purpose, thus having a healthy psychosocial development. Conversely, lack of this developmental opportunity due to overbearing parental control may result in inadequacy feelings and impact their future sense of autonomy and competence.