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