Final answer:
Melissa's overprotective actions may hinder her son's development in Erikson's second stage, Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt, by preventing him from developing independence and a sense of personal control, leading to potential feelings of shame and doubt.
Step-by-step explanation:
Melissa's overprotective behavior towards her son may lead to difficulties in Erikson's stage of Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt. This stage typically occurs between the ages of 18 months to 3 years.
Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory of development outlines eight stages through which a healthily developing human should pass from infancy to late adulthood. In each stage, the person experiences a psychosocial crisis which could have a positive or negative outcome for personality development. For the specific scenario mentioned, the relevant stage is Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt.
During this stage, children are expected to develop a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence. Success leads to feelings of autonomy, failure results in feelings of shame and doubt. If Melissa does all the tasks for her son and doesn't allow him to do simple tasks on his own, he may struggle to develop independence, which is crucial in this stage.
His inability to do things on his own could lead him to doubt his abilities, which might manifest as shame or a lack of confidence as he grows older. Furthermore, this could also negatively impact his ability to successfully navigate the subsequent stage of Initiative vs. Guilt, where the focus is on taking initiative and attempting new things.