Effects Of Search For Self Identity In Adolescence Religion Essay

Raising up kids in a spiritually oriented household can surely be both gratifying and a concern. The parts of gratifying approvals are doubtless the sense of safety it brings to a household whose base is strongly built in the Word of God. The concerns are the nuisance that arise as lone kids tend to travel along with whatever parents base their beliefs in. I am composing this paper with purposes of foregrounding the readers with these jobs in head. As one trade with sing the religion of the adolescence kids from within the fold or from the household prospective, one ought to inquire the inquiry, “ Is clip ripped plenty for the kid to do religious determinations? If So, how? ” Hence, before I draw my thoughts from other assorted beginnings, such developmental phases drawn from surveies put away by several well-known psychologists, I would wish to get down with a personal experience of a friend of head whom I came to cognize during my basic combat preparation in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and whom we are stationed together in Camp Robinson, North Little Rock.

He went farther by stating that they were every bit similar as to the remainder of the childs at his vicinity or school, but obviously the bond that they had, held them closer to the influence of the church. “ Therefor, make up one’s minding to follow or be save in Christ was non a pick but something we had to do. , ” he said. In the instance of Andrew, one is left to believe they had no other pick other than go with the flow. So, every bit early as the age of five, the two of the best friends would react to the petition of their kids ‘s Sunday school teachers and hope that Christ would be receive in their Black Marias without holding a steadfast cognitive sense of their supplications. Was there a alteration in their lives? No, they were merely traveling with the normal activities for the kids in the church.

Furthermore, Andrew stated that when they were 12s, after several old ages subsequently, they would run into for bible survey at one of the church leaders ‘ house, where he would baptise those who decided to be immersed in Christ. Once more, outlooks of their parents mandated them it was clip for them to step up and be baptized. So, one Sunday eventide, Andrew and his friends, along with others in their category, stepped into the H2O and were baptized. “ Were we showing to the universe that we were now dead in our wickednesss and transformed into new life in Christ? ” he asked interrogatively. “ No, we were following the normal modus operandi that was expected of all the church childs that went before us. It was a right of transition into the following degree of life in the church. Were we forced or coerced into making this? No, we decided to take these stairss as it was the proper thing to make. ”

Andrew confessed that as he grew in his apprehension and religion, he came to resent both the actions of the church and place. He perceived the events as irresponsible and meaningless. He felt that he had been misled and was given a false sense of his place in Christ. “ I concluded that I was non saved during those early old ages and I objected to the pattern of kid evangelism, ” he protested. This province of ill will toward his church lasted for about three old ages during his late teens as he struggled with his ain individuality and his relationship with God.

Now, Andrew is a married adult male and Chaplain aid in the military unit. His married woman and he are be aftering to hold kids in the nearest hereafter. Therefore, in visible radiation of his ain religious development he is left to inquire how he would mensurate a kid ‘s religious preparedness or more explicitly, how would he cognize when a kid is ready to do a determination for Christ and for baptism. It is with such wondering that every parents out at that place should bear in head when sing to raise the ain kids spiritually oriented household.

Furthermore, my friend ‘s chief experience, to me, sounds as if he was traveling through some of the phases that celebrated psychologist had put away. He sounds as if is seeking some sort of ego individuality despite the fact that his household has tried to transfuse a sense of security in him. In this instance of import that one considers to set some accent on the developmental facets of Piaget and Kornberg. Those of us who went through stripling phase and the parents who work or live with striplings know first-hand that they are at one time impossible to populate with and a joy to hold around. Adolescents are full as attitudes such as, critical, contentious, and absent-minded ; they are besides originative, energetic, and impassioned about the universe and their topographic point in it. However, research on striplings development has shown clearly that the surface behaviours of early striplings provide hapless hints as to what is truly go oning with them ; as what they were believing. At this phase most believe that striplings kids at the age between 14 to 17 as easy prone to be nerve-racking and stormy, , easy give in to the force per unit area from friends, rebellious toward grownups, Moody, incommunicative and unpredictable. Unfortunately, these positions are popular myths and have resulted in coevalss of misconstruing and inappropriate attending to the demands of 10 to 14 old ages old.

Early striplings are seldom perceived as being profoundly believing, caring and valuing persons who are greatly influenced by loving grownups. They are in the concluding phases of developing the character and personality that will separate them as grownups ; hard, serious and single hunt for beginnings of why life is what it is and why there is decease. All these light the exhilaration and, therefore, go the bases of developing or beef uping their ain religion.

In the theory of cognitive development ( Table 1 ) , Jean Piaget put forth the rational opposite number of biological version to the environment. He said that as we adapt biologically to our environment, so excessively we adapt intellectually. Through assimilation, adjustment and rejection, the external universe is organized and given construction.

Adaptation begins at birth with the exercising of sensory-motor physiological reactions. Differentiations via physiological reactions are the initial alteration that are subsequently on significantly enhanced kid ‘s cognitive development. And every bit far as the kid continue turning, the acceptance he does finally go less related to centripetal and motor behaviours entirely, and may be less clearly seen as versions by the untrained oculus.

Each consecutive phase is built upon the one before in an accumulating, orderly, consecutive and hierarchal mode. Yet the cognitive constructions are developed in an invariant sequence. That is, the class of cognitive development, marked by the development of constructions, is the same for all kids, although the ages at which they attain peculiar constructions may change with intelligence and the environmental scenes or societal scenes ( Inhelder and Piaget, 1968, p. 154 ) .

Erikson ‘s theory of psychosocial phases ( Table 3 ) , likewise mentioned that an individual ‘s personality develops harmonizing to predefined stairss that are maturely set. Society is structured in a manner that brings in and startle the challenges that come up at these peculiar times. Each phase presents the person with a crisis. If a peculiar crisis is handled good, the result is positive. If it is non handled good, the result is negative. The declaration of each phase lays the foundation for negociating the challenges of the following.

Lawrence Kohlberg views the development of morality in footings of moral logical thinking ( Table 3 ) . The phase of moral logical thinking at which people can be placed depends upon the concluding behind their determinations, non the determinations themselves. He believes that the phases are consecutive and that people do non jump phases, although they come and departs from them at different period times.

Furthermore, it is besides of import to detect the negative results on Religious formation. Sing Eriksonian, Piagetian, and Kolbergian theories, James Fowler set out to analyse the procedure of religious development in his description of several phases that occur in the development of religion in a individual ‘s life-time ( Table 4 ) . He called the phase of most adolescence to be mythic-literal religion. This phase is consistent with Piaget ‘s concrete operational phase and Erikson ‘s industry vs. lower status phase. It is at this phase that kids develop their sense of place relation to others in the equal group by get the hanging the academic and societal accomplishments. Their individualism is defined by their place in the group. They become less egoistic and get down to understand complex constructs like preservation. The kid continues to hold troubles even though he developed in regard to abstract footings such as his or her autonomy or his or her freedom. Children come ining this degree of phase understand the construct of the universe on a basic concrete grade.

Fhouler mentioned that most striplings are at synthetic-conventional religion. This phase correlates to Erikson ‘s individuality vs. function confusion phase and a more mature degree of Piaget ‘s concrete operational phase. They set up a feeling of who they think they are and where they think they belong. A strong accent is placed on being portion of the group. There is an even more intense demand for conformance and the blessing of the community. Their designation and look of religion are an extension of their household, their church and their equals.

During childhood, spiritual beliefs and behaviours are greatly influenced by one ‘s parents. Children tend to copy their parents ‘ beliefs and behaviours. In adolescence, nevertheless, there is a alteration and a inquiring of many of these spiritual beliefs. David deVaus looked at the importance of parental influence in relation to spiritual values and behaviour in Australian adolescents. The consequences showed that, at least for spiritual activity ( behaviour ) , both parents and equals were approximately equal in importance. However, when asked who had been most influential in development of their spiritual feelings, the most common reply was the female parent ( 51 per centum ) , followed by male parent ( 42 per centum ) .

Harmonizing to Fowler it is non until a kid reaches the following phase, individuative-reflective religion, that persons begin to presume personal duty for their ain committednesss, life styles, or beliefs. As this takes topographic point, striplings are forced to turn to ineluctable tensenesss between the individual they want to be and what others expect of them. This phase is associated with Erikson ‘s familiarity vs. isolation and the get downing degree of Piaget ‘s formal operational phase when kids begin to develop close interpersonal relationships, demoing a willingness to perpetrate to others. They start to cultivate the ability to analyze hypotheses in a develop or in a mature, scientific mode and can understand, and show their where they stand on moral and ethical affairs that demand an ability to utilize the abstract. They can believe about thought — that is they become cognizant of the procedures where by they come to keep a peculiar sentiment. They begin to have the beliefs they hold. They are going grownups.

Besides, when sing these developmental thoughts, it is of import that one understand the deductions and the dangers involved. A miss ‘s organic structure can get down to take on the form and characteristics of a adult female. She can talk with the edification associated with adolescence or even maturity. Social and legal agreements can allow new freedoms merely because a individual reaches a certain age. But until the development of intending becomes interpersonal, there is a really existent sense in which the individual is non yet an stripling. If those around her should misidentify physiology, calendar age, or verbal ability for psychological age and anticipate her to work inter-personally, they create a state of affairs which is unsafe for the development adolescent.

In his treatment on the dangers of using developmental theory to religious growing, John Ackerman states that we can do three grave errors. First, we may hold a inclination to rank persons harmonizing to their development. Second, we may believe that because we have labeled them, we know them. Third, we may take the groupings and specify an absolute relationship between psychological and religious growing. “ We need to cognize where people are developmentally, but the focal point is on God, in the individual ‘s perceptual experience of God. ” ( Ackerman, 1994, p. 111 )

I will venture to state that most churches, mine included, continue with the outlook that chronological age defines religious preparedness with regard to issues such as faith committedness and baptism. Within the construction of our establishments we have rites that are performed, with some regularity, with kids come ining pubescence. The Judaic Bar Mitzvah, Catholic and Lutheran Confirmation, and Baptist and Brethren Baptism are illustrations of regulations that the church observes when kids have reached their pre-teen old ages. Tradition dictates that at this age a kid is ready to get down the passage to maturity. They need to get down taking the religion they have been taught since babyhood and do it their ain. But are the kids truly ready for such a measure? Do they truly understand the stairss they are taking?

The most common statement I hear in favour of child transition are based on poetries like the followers:

At that clip Jesus said, “ I praise you, Father, Lord of Eden and Earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to small kids. Matt 11:25.

And he said: “ Truly I tell you, unless you change and become similar small kids, you will ne’er come in the land of Eden. ” Matt 18:3.

Jesus said, “ Let the small kids come to me, and do non impede them, for the land of heaven belongs to such as these. ” Matt 19:14.

Reasoning that God accepts the religion of a kid, parents and instructors do their best to assist the kid to do these life determinations. But unluckily, in the well-meaning grownups try to ‘hurry up and salvage the kids from ageless damnation, ” they have misunderstood the construct Jesus was learning. Taken in their proper context we see that Jesus ‘ instructions were indicating non to the infantile religion as being the feature he was seeking, but to the humbleness and trust of a kid as being the feature he was seeking in his followings. This instruction is non for the kids but for the grownups to follow. When it was clip, the adherents came to Jesus and qeustioned, “ Who is the greatest in the land of Eden? ”

He called a small kid and had him stand among them. And he said: “ I tell you the truth, unless you change and become similar small kids, you will ne’er come in the land of Eden. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this kid is the greatest in the land of Eden. And whoever welcomes a small kid like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these small 1s who believe in me to transgress, it would be better for him to hold a big albatross hung around his cervix and to be drowned in the deepnesss of the sea. Matt 18:1-5

In each instance, where Jesus speaks of the religion of a kid he is utilizing this attitude to countervail the inclination for his followings to go proud and self-sufficing. One needs to see how incapacitated we truly are without God and how our religion must turn out of one ‘s trust instead than one ‘s accomplishments.

So how so do one buttocks kids ‘s preparedness to do these life altering determinations? One needs to see each kid as an person and mensurate their religious preparedness based upon their apprehension of who God is and what he has done for them. Faith is a response to a demand and if the kid does non comprehend the world of the demand so there can non be true religion.

Measuring Spiritual Readiness

I remember when I visited the “ Made in the Street, ” an orphanhood ministry in Niarobi, Kenya, Charles Colton and his married woman Sandy, who are missionaries from California, and who happened to be in Niarobi at the clip, were keeping a workshop with kids ministries. The workshop was known as “ Let the Children Come to Me. ” In this workshop, Colton said “ kids are free to travel to Jesus merely like grown-ups. He protested that parents should neither coerce their kids into premature professions of faith nor neglect their religious formation. ”

“ Thatch parents that they have a duty to God in the stewardship of their kids ‘s religious development, ” said James Namanya, a Ugandan curate of childhood instruction at Mbale, Uganda who besides led the workshop with Charles Colton and his married woman Sandy

“ the Gospel program of redemption can be explained in footings an older kid – a fourth- , fifth- or sixth-grader – can easy understand, ” they noted. “ realize kids think in actual footings, so avoid nonliteral linguistic communication, ” they suggested. Colton and Knox advised parents and church leaders to look for marks of preparedness in kids such as:

Questions. Listen carefully to a kid ‘s inquiries about religious affairs. “ If the kid is inquiring who the cat was that climbed the Mangifera indica tree, he ‘s likely merely inquiring for factual information about Zaccheus, ” Colton said. “ Merely because you know the poetry follows about Jesus Christ coming to salvage that which was lost but willing to seek Him, do n’t presume the kid is doing that spring. ” On the other manus, if a kid begins to inquire serious inquiries about wickedness, decease and infinity, that could be a mark the Holy Spirit is pulling the kid. Explore the degree of involvement and understanding by inquiring probing, open-ended inquiries, non questions that could be answered “ yes ” or “ no. ”

Focus. Watch for a kid who all of a sudden becomes focused on spiritual direction. Unusual heed in Sunday school or during worship could be a signal a kid is ready to do a faith committedness.

Behavioral alterations. Anything from a sudden involvement in Bible-reading to looks of guilt over error at place could intend God is working in a kid ‘s bosom.

Colton said that while some immature kids truly are converted, that is the exclusion, non the regulation. Curates, instructors and parents can assist immature kids by separating between the natural desire of a kid to show love for Jesus and the life-changing determination of having him as Lord and Savior.

At another workshop, “ Childhood Bible School – A Way Forward, ” leaders suggested a combination of small-group Sessionss, self-guided activities and large-group clip for kids ‘s worship. Children life development curate John Hall and kids ‘s worship leader Emmanuel Kennedy from the Euless-area Episcopal Church of Euless said they incorporate lively music with “ a batch of manus gestures, ” play and secular pictures with religious applications into their “ Adventure Zone ” kids ‘s church service. “ We make it merriment for the childs, ” Kennedy said. “ Kids tell their parents, ‘I want to travel back to that church where they sing, dance and have doughnuts holes. ‘ ”

“ We try non to do it like school, ” Hall said. “ We want it to be fun. We involve the childs in worship. Our end is to raise up a coevals of worshippers. Childs learn by making. There ‘s no communion table call and no panic tactics. We let the Holy Spirit inmate. ”

In decision, taking the information presented by developmental psychological science one might reason that adolescent kids are merely non capable of doing a determination for Christ. Maturely talking, they have non developed the cognitive tools they need to come to this determination. Their thought procedures are still governed by fabulous, actual apprehension of their environment. They are more interested in suiting into the group than doing single determinations. But this decision would be flawed. Indeed, Ackerman states that most grownups within the church would perchance fall into this same class.

Rather, when we look more closely at the grounds we come to the decision that there is no charming age at which a kid all of a sudden becomes able to understand religious affairs. It seems rather clear that the lone manner to measure the religious preparedness of a kid is on an single footing. And the existent job exists non with the kids but the grownups who are seeking to learn them.

In our sometimes over-zealous efforts to convey kids to a determination for Christ we forget what that determination is. First, it is the occupation of the Holy Spirit to convict the bosom of the person, to open their eyes to the truth, to assist them understand the ageless significance of the determination. Merely God knows when the clip is right but we can watch for the marks to cognize when to open the Word to these kids.

Second, tradition and ritual can be rather meaningful in assisting us specify our relationship with God, but it can non make that relationship. Merely through instruction and discipleship can a child Begin to specify his or her ain relationship with God. It is through good scriptural instruction that the kid will understand why he needs the relationship and through godly Christian mold that the kid will understand how he develops that relationship.

In assorted facets, this civilization has made it really much easier to work out issues sing the religious development of kids. They define the quantifiable criterion and do the determination easy. They excuse us from the hard occupation of working closely with each person, to measure his or her specific religious demands. But in order to accomplish the coveted consequence – a life-changing determination for Christ – we must interrupt free from our tradition and get down working to develop the spiritualty of kids in the lone manner that is genuinely effectual – separately.

Table 1

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT PIAGET

A. Four Factors Determining Development

1 ) Maturation – the gradual flowering of the familial program for life.

2 ) Experience – the active interation of the kid with the environment.

3 ) Social Transmission – the information and imposts that are transmitted from parents and other people in the kid ‘s environment.

4 ) Procedure of Equalibration – the procedure by which the kid seeks a balance between what they know and what they are sing. When thay are faced with information that calls for a new and different analysis or activity, kids enter a province of disequalibrium. When this occurs, they must alter the manner they deal with the information and set up a new, more stable province of equalibrium.

B. Concepts and Processes

1 ) Scheme – a procedure of covering with the country that can be generalized to many state of affairss.

2 ) Adaptation – can be understood in footings of accommodation. As the forces in the environment alteration, so must the person ‘s ability to cover with them. Adaptation involves two complementary procedures:

a ) Assimilation – In this procedure, input is filtered or modified to suit already bing constructions. When we assimilate something, we alter the signifier of the entrance stimulation to accommodate it to our already established actions or constructions.

B ) Accommodation – The procedure that involves modifying internal bing strategies to run into the demands of the new experience. When we accommodate, we create a new strategy or modify old 1s.

C. Cognitive Development Stages

1 ) Sensorimotor Stage – Birth to about Two old ages.

Babies progress through their universe utilizing senses and motor activity. The develop object permanency, the apprehension that objects and people do non vanish simply because they are out of sight. Their abilities are limited by an inability to utilize linguistic communication or symbols to pass on. Intelligence during this phase involves organized systems or strategies of actions and behaviours that become progressively complex and coordinated.

2 ) Preoperational Stage – Age Two to Ten

Childs can utilize on thing to stand for another. They can utilize linguistic communication to travel beyond their ain direct experience. But their apprehension of the universe is still limited. They oftem believe that inanimate objects have a life of their ain. They are egoistic, believing that everyone sees a state of affairs the wat they do. Preschoolers do non understand preservation, the thought of something staying the same despite alterations in visual aspect.

3 ) Concrete Operational Stage – Age Ten to Fifteen

Children advancement through this phase where many of the preoperational lacks are easy overcome. Children begome less egoistic and get down to understand preservation. The kid continues to hold troubles even though he developed in regard to abstract footings such as his or her autonomy or his or her freedom. Children in this phase understand the universe merely on a concrete degree.

4 ) Formal Operational Stage – Adolescence to Adulthood

Children come ining this phase now develop the ability to prove hypotheses in a mature, scientific mode and can understand and pass on their places on complex ethical issues that demand an ability to utilize the abstract. They can believe about thought — that is they become cognizant of the procedures where by they come to keep a peculiar sentiment.

Table 2

PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY ERIKSON

A. Eight Psychosocial Stages

1 ) Trust vs. Mistrust – The positive result of the phase of babyhood is a sense of trust. If kids are cared for in a warm, caring mode, they are disposed to swear the environment and develop a feeling that they live among friends. If the parents are dying, angry or incapable of run intoing a kid ‘s demands, the kid may develop a sense of misgiving. Trust is the basis of the kid ‘s attitude toward life.

2 ) Autonomy vs. Shame or Doubt – Toddlers are no longer wholly dependent on grownups. They pattern new physical accomplishments and develop a sense of liberty. If they are non allowed to make the things they can make or are forced to make things they are non ready for, they may develop a sense of uncertainty and shame about their ain abilities and fail to develop assurance. If encouraged to make what they can for themselves, they are helped to get a sense of liberty.

3 ) Initiative V. Guilt – At age four or five, kids begin to explicate programs and carry it through. If encouraged to organize their ain thoughts, the kid will develop a sense of enterprise. If punished for showing their ain programs, the kid develops a sense of guilt, which leads to fear and a deficiency of assertiveness.

4 ) Industry vs. Inferiority – During in-between childhood, kids must larn the academic accomplishments of reading, composing and math, every bit good as societal accomplishments. If they win in geting these accomplishments and if their achievements are valued by others, the kid develops a sense of industry. If they are invariably compared to others and come up a distinguishable second, they may develop a sense of lower status.

5 ) Identity vs. Role Confusion – During adolescence, kids must make up one’s mind their ain vocational and personal hereafter. They develop a sense of who they are and where they belong. The kid who develops a strong sense of individuality formulates a satisfying program and additions a sense of security. Those who do non develop this sense of individuality may develop function confusion, a sense of purposelessness and being adrift without an ground tackle or program.

6 ) Intimacy V. Isolation – The positive result of the psychosocial crisis of immature grownups, affecting development of close interpersonal relationships, most frequently typified by matrimony. The negative result of this phase is the unwillingness or inability to perpetrate to others.

7 ) Generativity vs. Stagnation – The positive result of the psychosocial crisis of in-between age involves giving of oneself and one ‘s endowments to others. It is chiefly concerned with set uping and steering the following coevals, puting something of oneself in the hereafter. The negative result of this phase involves soaking up in one ‘s ain personal demands and an inability or involuntariness to give to others.

8 ) Integrity V. Despair – The positive result of this last phase involves the realisation that one ‘s life has been worthwhile. After a life clip of confronting challenges and jobs, they can look back on a productive life. Mature grownups have a different position on life and see their lives as holding a intent. Peoples who see merely lost chances may go acrimonious and down.

Table 3

STAGES OF MORAL REASONING KOHLBERG

A. Pre-conventional Level

In this phase, kids tend to be antiphonal to customary regulations and the knowing of things considered good and bad or in that affair, right and incorrect, but besides associated these to effects of action ( penalty, wages, exchange favours ) or in footings of the physical power of those who create the regulations. Two phases are considered in this degree:

Phase 1: Obedience and penalty orientation.

The practical effects of action signifies its goodness or badness regardless of the significance or value of these effects.

Phase 2: Individualism and Exchange.

Right action is that which instrumentally satisfies personal demands and the demands of others. Human dealingss are viewed in footings of the market place. Features of equity, reciprocality, and equal sharing which are present are interpreted physically and pragmatically. Reciprocity is a affair of “ you scratch my dorsum and I ‘ll rub yours, ” non of trueness, gratitude, or justness.

B. Conventional Level

Chiefly, single outlooks, group, or state is thought as acceptable in its ain right, irrespective of effects. Not merely is the attitude one of giving into personal outlooks and societal order but besides of trueness to it, of actively keeping, back uping, and warranting it, of tie ining with individuals or single groups involved. Two phases:

Phase 3: “ good boy-nice miss ” orientation.

Having good behaviours is perceived as pleasing or assisting others to gain blessing by others. There is much conformance to stereotyped images of what is bulk or “ natural ” behaviour. Behavior is often judged by purpose – “ he means good ” becomes of import for the first clip. One earns blessing by being “ nice. ”

Phase 4: Law and order orientation

Orientation is toward authorization, fixed regulations, and the care of the societal order. Right behaviour consists of making one ‘s responsibility, demoing regard for authorization, keeping the societal order for its ain interest.

C. Post conventional, Autonomous, or Principled Degree

Here, single exert energy to understanding moral values and rules that have sensible and applicable apart from the group or personal governments keeping these rules irrespective of individuality of single in contrast to the group individuality: There are no phases know for these degrees.

Phase 5: Social-contact, legalistic orientation

By and large with useful overtones. By and large, right action is defined in footings of single rights defined the right actions and criterions agreed upon by society. The individual becomes cognizant of values and sentiments and so emphasizes procedural regulation for making consensus. Aside from what is constitutionally and democratically agreed upon, right is a affair of personal “ values ” and “ sentiments ” ; accent is therefore on the “ legal point of position, ” but with flexibleness to altering the jurisprudence in consideration of societal public-service corporation instead than stop deading jurisprudence for the interest of societal order.

Phase 6: Universal ethical rule orientation

Right is defined by the witting determination in agreement with self-chosen ethical rules that appease to comprehensiveness, catholicity, and consistence. These rules are abstract and ethical ; they are non concrete moral regulations.

Table 4

STAGES OF FAITH DEVELOPMENT FOWLER

Stages Description of Characteristics

Pre Phase:

Primal Faith * Undifferentiated religion

( Babies to 2 old ages ) * Embedded in physiological reactions, feeling, detector motor accomplishments

Phase One:

Intuitive-Projective Faith * Reflection of parental /family religion and spiritual traditions

( Pre-school kids ) and experiences

* Faith is understood in context of phantasy, imaginativeness,

powerful images

* Faith is response to concrete narrative symbols, and experiences

Phase Two:

Mythic-Literal Faith: * Distinction between world and phantasy in doing significance

( age 6-12 ) * Faith is a contemplation of constructs and beliefs of household

and others

* Literal, concrete, unidimensional readings of Bible,

deeper symbolism is non understood

* Share who they are through narrative of their experiences

and belonging

* Imagery of Bible narratives is considered existent

* Strong sense of authorization of scriptural narrative and spiritual

tradition

Phase Three:

Synthetic-Conventional Faith * Emphasis on belonging, being a portion of the group

( adolescence -adulthood ) * Adolescence: being one of the gang/peer force per unit area

* Strong demand for conformance, security, and blessing of the

community

* Identification and look of religion is extension of like-minded

beliefs of the group

Phase Four:

Individuative-Reflective Faith: * Questioning and doubting religion

( maturity ) * Struggle and disenchantment with past beliefs and replies to

meaning-making

Phase Five:

Conjunctive Faith: * Maturity that builds upon old phases

( non earlier age 30 ) * Developed personal religion

* Ability to see and be unfastened to other positions and

point of views of truth

Phase Six:

Universalizing Faith: * Entire committedness to steering presence of God in life

* Every facet of life is motivated and governed by ultimate Authority * Symbolizes the ultimate fulfilment of religion

Table 5

COMPARISON OF THEORIES OF DEVELOPMENT IN PRE-ADOLESCENCE

Fowler’s Piaget’s Erikson ‘s

Phases of Faith Stages of Psychosocial Stages

Cognitive Development

Mythic-Literal Concrete Operational Industry vs. Inferiority

Synthetic-Conventional Concrete Operational Identity vs. Role Confusion

Individuative-Reflective Formal Operational Intimacy vs Isolation

Citations:

Ackerman, John Spiritual Awakening. New York: Alban, 1995

Camp, Ken Parents Advised to Measure Child ‘s Spiritual Readiness. Internet, 1997

De Vaus, D. A. , The Relative Importance of Parents and Peers for Adolescent Religious Orientation: An Australian Study. Adolescence, 1983, 18, 147-158.

Erikson, E. Childhood and Society. New York: Norton, 1963

Fowler, J. W. Stages in Faith. New York: Harper and Row, 1981

Jensen, L. C. Adolescence: Theories, Research, Applications. St. Paul: West, 1985

Kegan, Robert The Evolving Self. Cambridge: Harvard, 1982

Kohlberg, L. The Development of Moral Judgment and Moral Action in L. Kohlberg ( ed. ) . Child Psychology and Childhood Education: A Cognitive-Development View. New York: Longman, 1987, 259-329.

Thibault, J. P. , and McKee, J. S. Practical Rearing with Piaget. Young Children. November 1982, 38, 18-27.

Wadsworth, Barry J. Piaget ‘s Theory of Cognitive Development. New York: McKay, 1971

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