Stages of FAITH DEVELOPMENT

By Karen Jones

A Study of Children and Adolescents

James Fowler

• EDUCATION• Duke University• Drew Theological Seminary• 1971 Ph.D. Harvard University,

Religion & Society with focus in ethics and sociology of religion• Center of Moral Development at

Harvard School of Education (post graduate studies)

• TEACHING CAREER• 1969 – 1975 Harvard Divinity

School• 1975 – 1976 Boston College• 1977 – 1993 Emory’s Candler

School of Theology

1994 – 2005 Director of the Center of Ethics at Emory

“Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning (38th Printing)

Minister – United Methodist Church

Married, 2 daughters, 4 grandchildren

Aspects of FAITHFUNDAMENTAL

“none of us lives very well without it.”

UNIVERSAL

“recognizably the same phenomenon in Christians, Marxists, Hindus & Dinka.”

INFINITELY VARIED

“each persons faith is unique;”“inexhaustibly mysterious.”

(Fowler, xiii)

FOWLER’S

Building blocks of FAITH:

“MAN THE

MEANING MAKER”

EARNEST BECKER,

ANTHROPOLOGIST

god VALUESPAUL TILLICH, THEOLOGIAN

TRUST IN A CENTER OF

VALUE & POWER

RICHARD NIEBUHR, THEOLOGIAN

Distinct from FAITH, but possible expressions of FAITH:

RELIGION & BELIEFW. C. SMITH, COMPARATIVE RELIGIONIST, LINGUIST

FAITH IS

DEEPER, RICHER, MORE

PERSONAL.

It is engendered by a RELIGIOUS

TRADITION,

in some cases and to some degree

by its DOCTRINES;

BUT IT IS A

QUALITY OF THE PERSON

NOT OF THE SYSTEM.”

W. C. Smith states:

FAITH as relationalSHARED CENTER OF VALUE AND

POWER

SELF OTHERSLove – mutual trust - loyalty

Mea

ning

– W

orth

- S

usta

ins

Rest

my

hear

t up

onM

eaning – Worth - Sustains

Rest my heart upon

FAITH is triadic or covenantal in shape.

IMAGINATION – FAITHUltimate environment – environment of environments

“In its imaginal mode, faith ‘forms into one’ a comprehensive image of an ultimate environment, an environment of environments, in relation to which we make sense of the force field of our lives.” Fowler, p 28

Other influences Structural Development Theories & Faith

PIAGET AND KOHLBERG – the push to examine the structuring activity of faith

Psychosocial Development

ERIKSON – focus on the functional aspect of faith

Structural-Development Theories and Faith Contributions of Piaget – Kohlberg school

Epistemological focus Focus on structure of knowing forming

content of knowledge (although not as distinct in faith development); invariant sequence

Interactional process (innovative subject/changing environment)

Normative direction & implications

Structural-Development Theories and Faith Limitations of Piaget – Kohlberg school

Separated cognition or knowing from emotion (rational maturity makes matters of emotion as subjective bias, immaterial)

Very restricted role of imagination in knowing, unconscious structuring processes

FAITH DEVELOPMENT

It is with this imaging that Fowler’s research and observations identified what he calls “reasonably predictable developmental turning points in the WAYS faith imagines and in the WAYS faith’s images interplay with the communal modes of expression.”

JAMES W. FOWLER’S

-- Infancy & Undifferentiated

Stage 1 Intuitive – Projective

Stage 2 Mythical – Literal

Stage 3 Synthetic - Conventional

Stage 4 Individuative - Reflective

Stage 5 Conjunctive

Stage 6 Universalizing

Stages of Faith DevelopmentJAMES W. FOWLER’S

Research Questions

1 Does faith development in elementary school & high school students reflect the formal descriptions of Fowler’s faith stages associated with childhood (Stage 2) and adolescence (Stage 3), respectively?

2 When a faith education community that utilizes an explicit, structured program of reflection – a hallmark of Stage 4 Individuative-Reflective Faith – are high school students likely to exceed Fowler’s Stage 3?

Hypothesis

1 I predict 5th grade students will reflect Fowler’s 2nd Stage of Faith Development and the High School Seniors (18 yrs. old) will reflect at least the 3rd Stage.

2 I predict a small percentage of High School Seniors will be 4th Stage or transitioning to 4th Stage in the faith education community that utilizes an explicit, structured program of reflection.

Settings – Catholic SchoolsSt. Monica School

4140 Walnut Hill Rd., Dallas, TX

Jesuit College Prep12345 Inwood Dr., Dallas TX

25 – 5th Grade students10 – 11 years old

23 – 12th Grade students18 years old

Methodology

10-QUESTION SURVEY

PART I PART II PART III PART IV

Construction Commitment Authority Images

4 questions1 3 questions2 1 question 2 questions

1 Leak, Loucks and Bowlin, 1999, p.1242 Schwartz, 2006, p. 317

1. Religious Beliefs

76%

24%

5th

52%48%

12th

It is very important for me to… accept the religious beliefs and values of my church critically examine my religious beliefs and values.

PART I - CONSTRUCTION

2. Other ReligionsI don’t find value in being exposed to other religions.It doesn’t bother me to be exposed to other religions.

24%

76%

5th

10%

90%

12th

PART I - CONSTRUCTION

I believe totally the teachings of my church.I find myself disagreeing with my church over some aspects of faith.

3. Catholic Church Teachings

29%

71%

12th

88%

12%

5th

PART I - CONSTRUCTION

4. Religious InsightsI believe that my church… teaches a complete understanding of what God wants for us & how we should worship him.has much to offer, but that other religions can also provide some religious understanding.

72%

28%

5th

38%

62%

12th

PART I - CONSTRUCTION

5. I believe God works everyday in my life giving it a purpose & meaning.

Never true

Rarely true

Sometimes true

Often true

Always true

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

12th 5th

PART II - COMMITMENT

6. My Faith shapes the way I think and act everyday. (Schwartz 2006, p.317)

Never true

Rarely true

Sometimes true

Often true

Always true

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

12th 5th

PART II - COMMITMENT

Never true

Rarely true

Sometimes true

Often true

Always true

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

12th 5th

7. I take time for periods of prayer and meditation. (Schwartz 2006, p.317)

PART II - COMMITMENT

8. If you had a question about God, the Bible, or your faith, what would you do?

I would think about it, reflect, pray.

Ask a Friend

Ask my Parent

Ask a Teacher

Ask a Priest

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

12th 5th

PART III - AUTHORITY

9. Which statement describes heaven BEST for you?

Other

A garden of Eden.

I don't know, but God will be there.

Eternal life.

Everlasting state of joy.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

12th 5th

PART IV - IMAGES

Stage 2

Form & content from authority, literal, narrative, anthromorphic

10. How would you describe God?

I think that God is like a blacksmith who is constantly working on creating yet another mammal, bird, reptile, fish, or amphibian. (5th)

I think God is a very nice man who cares for his people. I think He also loves everything he makes. (encluding Dinosaurs) (5th)

PART IV - IMAGES

Stage 3Unexamined (tacit) images, religious model, mystery &

awe, knowing & loving, as a companion.

God is loving and fair. He is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is eternal and good. (5th)

Alpha & Omega, The Man (2 students, 12th)

All knowing deity, who loves and respects all. (12th)

10. How would you describe God?

PART IV - IMAGES

God is all powerful, acts in our lives when we need it, whether or not we pray to him for help. (12th)

He created the universe in the beginning & has been looking over it as it transformed through time. #7 (12th))

Stage 4 Process model – God affects the world and the world affects God.

Demythologized to create sense of meaning. Social.

10. How would you describe God?

PART IV - IMAGES

35% 15% 15% 35%

Scoring Surveys

ResultsGrade Stage 2 Stage

2/3 Stage 3 Stage 4

5th 72% 16% 12% 0

12th 29% 14% 45% 10%

Do 5th graders reflect Stage 2? The majority, yes – but not exclusively.

Do HS Seniors reflect Stage 3? Yes, but not exclusively, with a wide distribution.

Hypothesis

Limitations Survey – too broad, no follow-up

questions.

Survey questions needed to be more narrow and simpler for 5th grade students.

18 year olds were all male.

Advantage / Disadvantage – Catholic school students only

Fowler, J. W. (1981). Stages of Faith: The psychology of human development and the quest for meaning. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row.

Haunz, R. A. (1978). Development of some models of God and suggested relationships to James Fowler's stages of faith development. Religious Education, 73(6), 640-655.

Kahoe, R. D., & Meadow, M. (1984). Psychology of Religion: Religion in Individual Lives. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Leak, G., Loucks, A., & Bowlin, P. (1999). Development and Initial Validation of an Objective Measure of Faith Development. International Journal For The

Psychology Of Religion, 9(2), 105-124.

Schwartz, K. D. (2006). Transformations in parent and friends faith support predicting adolescents’ religious faith. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 16, 311–326.

Picture credit – Magnet & force field.http://static.geekbeat.tv/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Magnetic-Field-Lines-Around-a-Bar-Magnet1.jpg

Works Cited