Adult Faith Development: Current Thinking

Introduction

Since the 1950's more and more psychologists have begun studying the effects and implications that a person's faith has on one's life. Key figures in psychology such as Jung (1958), Allport (1950), Piaget (1954), and Kohlberg (1963) have all done various amounts of research on faith development (Lownsdale 1997), but in 1981, James Fowler presented a six-stage theory of faith development presented in his book, Stages of Faith, which has since become the most popular and commonly accepted theory. Fowler's faith development theory has been integrated into many adult research studies including the disciplines of psychology, theology, and even medical research.

Fowler's Theory

The adult stages in Fowler's theory typically include stages three through six. The earlier stages are generally follow normal progressive development, and as stated by Lownsdale (1997), the various stages of faith are neither achievements, nor progressive steps to salvation, but simply degrees that one's faith goes through as it develops. The following is a short description of each of these stages:

Stage 3. Synthetic-conventional: In this stage, a person knows why he/she believes. One pulls together various parts of faith and tends to conform to the majority, and people are rewarded or punished for following rules laid down by the proper authority (the church or Bible). Views at this stage are often stereotyped.

Stage 4. Individuative-reflective: There is a relocation of authority within the self, along with a critical reflection of one's beliefs. Faith becomes uniquely one's own. In addition, there is usually a struggle to grow and understand.

Stage 5. Conjunctive: Individuals realize the paradoxes in faith, and learn to live with their faith and their questions. This stage involves a dynamic, trusting relationship with God.

Stage 6. Universalizing Faith: This stage is defined by feeling at one with God. People here invest their lives in a larger cause without being concerned by the personal cost (Parrott & Steele, 1995; Swensen, Fuller, & Clements, 1993). These stages are simply frameworks of understanding people and where they are in regard to their faith.

Implications of Fowler's Theory

According to Fowler, "human beings are genetically potentiated -that is gifted at birth- with readiness to develop faith (Lownsdale, 1997). Lownsdale cites a study done by Worthington (1989) in which he found that therapists are not as religiously oriented or informed as their clients. In one survey, 90% of the United States population believed in a divine being, and for one third of this population, their belief was a strong conviction. In many cases, these differences in religious beliefs cause a separation between the therapist and the client. Especially in these types of situations, it is beneficial for therapists to have an understanding of Fowler's theory of faith stages. Comprehending what stage a person is at in their faith development will give a therapist increased awareness and allow them to draw upon the very resources of a person's life to help them resolve problems commonly encountered in spiritual and psychological growth (Lownsdale 1997). Simply having the knowledge of what Fowler's theory involves will be useful to many different people.

Fowler's theory is also relevant on an educational level, and this may be particularly true for professors in the psychology arena. Parrott and Steele (1995) make a bold statement, saying that, "knowledge in both fields, theology and psychology, is required". From knowing the faith development theory, one can gain insights into both the professor and the students in a class by looking specifically at the way people construct their faith. Less emphasis is put upon the contents of one's faith in Fowler's theory, but rather the way in which one structures his or her faith is emphasized (Parrott & Steele 1995). Parrott and Steele make it clear that students of psychology should understand the implications of Fowler's theory so that they can learn effectively in classrooms full of people who may be at different stages than themselves, and therefore may see things from a different perspective.

Medical Findings

One study in particular was done to find out whether the stages of faith had any specific type of effect on patients with terminal cancer their spouses spouse. After a variety of surveys and interviews, it was determined what stage of faith the patients were in, and how they were reacting to their terminally ill condition. It turns out that a patient's religious faith is the most important factor in determining their general quality of life (Swensen, Fuller, & Clements). The more developed a person's faith is, in this case, the more comfortable they will be having faith that there is a divine being in control of what happens to their life.

Disagreements with Theory

For the most part, responses to Fowler's work have been quite supportive, and yet in recent years, a few disagreements have been raised. The main concern raised usually has to do with the fact that the theory seems to lie within the confines of a Western liberal bias alone(Parrott & Steele 1995; Johnson 1996). Fowler's theory is an grand attempt to understand how people find meaning in today's contemporary world, and it is quite popular with modern developmentalists and liberals in the education field.

Conclusion

The rise of Fowler's developmental faith theory has changed the way people think within the realm of psychology. The stages of faith development have had significant effects upon both the therapist-client relationship and the student-professor relationship, and many psychologists hold that it is not only good, but necessary to know the six stages of faith. When a person understands these stages of development, he or she will have a whole new level at which they will be able to relate to others. As stated by Lownsdale (1997), faith has a language of its own that can easily by ignored or misunderstood if the therapist or professor (or student) does not connect the meaning of a person's words to faith. Knowing what a person's faith means to him or her related to the stage they are at will allow a much deeper level of understanding between two people, and according to some psychologists is necessary for the success of psychology in a faith centered society. Therefore, it appears that the integration of faith and psychology would be all around beneficial to understanding and compatibility among adults, and though this integration has begun, there is much further to go before psychology and theology can be understood together.

References

Fowler, J.W. (1981) Stages of faith: The psychology of human development and the quest for meaning.New York: Harper & Row.

Johnson, E. L. (1996). The call of wisdom: Adult development within Christian community, Part I: The crisis of modern theories of pest-formal development. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 24(2)83-92.

Lownsdale, S. (1997). Faith development across the life span: Fowler's integrative work. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 25(1)49-63.

Parrott, L. III, & Steel, L. (1995). Integrating psychology and theology at undergraduate colleges: A developmental perspective. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 23(4)261-265.

Swensen, C.H., Fuller, S., & Clements, R. (1993). Stage of religious faith and reactions to terminal cancer. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 21(3) 238-245.

Contributed by Kathryn A. Wing, September 30, 1997.

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