Characteristics of the early stages:
- memorization and imitation
- make efforts to please others
- rely on clear rules and teachings
Characteristics of later stages
- increased honest reflection and greater self awareness
- the ability to examine different points of view
- a willingness to take personal responsibility for one’s decisions
- commitment to others
Stages |
Name |
Characteristics |
One |
Intuitive
|
-children aged 2 – 6 -reflect faith of parents - God is like a nurturing, caring parent
|
Two |
Mythic-Literal |
-children aged 7 – 11 -stories used to explain things -the understanding of stories is literal, and very simple (good people receive blessings, bad people are punished) -the child is not yet ready to see the meaning behind the stories -some adults remain in stage two
|
Three |
Synthetic-Conventional |
-ages 12 or 13 - development of operational thinking (Piaget) – we can think about our own thinking - individual pulls together ideas from different authorities (parents, teachers) - anxieties develop when authorities contradict one another (i.e. if parent and teacher present differing views) -little critical examination of beliefs -God seen as Friend, Companion, Personal Reality who knows and cares about me personally as I struggle to develop my identity -some adults remain at stage three
|
Four |
Individualist – Reflective Faith |
- can start around 17 – 20, some people don’t start it until late 30’s -individuals realize their personal responsibility to make sense of their own lives -people determine what they believe, what they can commit to, how they fit with the groups around them -a period of questioning, doubting, rejecting and developing one’s own values -some people become more independent in their thinking and don’t rely on an institution/society/group to tell them what is right -some may revert to authority in a fundamentalist religion
|
Five
|
Conjunctive Faith |
-seldom found before age 30, often never reached, a midlife way of being in faith -a realization that I am more than my conscious self – much of my behaviour and responses to things are shaped by things that I am not fully aware of -individuals become more open to new ways of looking at things and seeing other viewpoints and beliefs - a search for deeper meaning; a reexamination of religious beliefs and a deepened readiness for a relationship with God, an interest in the mystery of God
|
Six
|
Universalizing Faith |
- “I have a dream” – individuals have a view of what is good for all people everywhere, and are willing to make great personal sacrifice to live out their faith and beliefs - exceedingly rare – Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Thomas Merton - the individual identifies beyond self with God as a felt reality |