In my practice and study of Spiritual Direction, the Stages of Faith is one of my favorite models. Developed in 1981, it was largely inspired by the human growth and development work of psychologists Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson. While it is just a model, for visual learners such as myself it can deepen our understanding of the path and trajectory of human faith development.
As much as I want to bore you with way too much information that you would more than likely skip over, here are two things that keep me coming back to this work:
Transition. Many of us are either in or will experience transition. So much so that it may be difficult to discover the value of our spirituality. In particular, I find this model extremely helpful for those recovering from Religious Fundamentalism — for those on the growth edge of a boundaried and exclusive system. For those of us in transition, this model puts into words what we may be wrestling with, where we have come from, or where we are headed. It reminds us that change is not the enemy of spirituality.
Beauty. As I meet with people across all faith styles and traditions, this model helps me understand the inherent beauty in everyone. It’s a tool I use often to help myself understand (even if a tiny glimpse of) one’s perspective in order to help them connect more deeply with their own spirituality. Even though this model makes a strong claim to the certainty in which human faith grows, it’s important to leave room for mystery: each person’s faith develops in its own way.
Seven Stages of Faith
The model has seven stages of developmentally-related styles of faith. These are markers on the human journey that reflect growth and maturation of how we believe and orient ourselves to the transcendent. It ends with a stage some might call enlightenment – oneness with all, peace with no worry or doubt – which is said to be quite rare.
Side note: “Faith” according to Fowler is not exclusive to the religious. In fact, Fowler writes that humans are born with an innate capacity for faith. He defines human faith as “a person’s way of seeing him or herself in relation to others against a background of shared meaning and purpose” [1]. How this capacity for faith grows depends largely on a combination of nature and nurture. So, according to Fowler, there’s a distinct difference here between belief and faith:
- Belief = the living out to concepts as laid out by religious doctrines
- Faith = how one relates to that which is universal and considered to be ultimate
Faith in this way is not so much what you believe but how you believe. It’s an innate part of human development and the path to making meaning.
The seven stages are designed to be sequential: a person moves through the stages in the manner presented and each stage is deeper than the stage prior. However, each stage describes a pattern that has intrinsic value. Any single stage may be best fitting for a particular individual or group. Progress along the model is not a reflection of a relationship with God or “how good you are” at being a Christian, Hindu, Muslim, etc. Alternatively, the stages of faith in Fowler’s model are markers that reflect the growth of how we believe and see ourselves in our relation to the divine mystery, the world, and those around us.
I like to imagine the stages as concentric circles: pre-stage in the middle and the final stage on the outside. This reminds me that each stage can be embodied, and to progress is to transcend and include.
Here’s a simple look, followed by a deeper dive below:
- Pre-Stage: “Primal” – (Infancy – Age 2) Connection with primary caregiver establishes foundation for trust and meaning-making.
- Stage 1: “Projective” – (Age 3-7) Children mirror the beliefs of their caregivers.
- Stage 2: “Literal” – (School Age) Beliefs become solid, concrete, and understood in very literal ways.
- Stage 3: “Conventional” – (Adolescence) Belief is rigidly tied to a particular group. James Fowler proposed that most people remain in this stage.
- Stage 4: “Reflective” – (Early Adulthood) Shift from external to internal authority.
- Stage 5: “Conjunctive” – (Middle Adulthood) Comfort in paradox. More than one truth can exist at once.
- Stage 6: “Universalizing” – (Rare) A universal perspective of transcendence and unity.
Pre-Stage: Primal
(Infancy – Age 2)
From infancy to about age two, a developmental connection with the primary caregiver establishes foundation for trust and meaning-making. The idea of faith to a caregiver manifests as trust or hope.
Ideas of the divine are based on relation to caregiver.
Stage 1: Projective
(Age 3-7)
About ages 3-7, children are solely influenced by stories and examples of faith by caregivers and community. Naturally, they mirror the beliefs of their parents or those around them.
Stage 2: Literal
(School Age)
In Elementary school age, children develop a more solid, concrete way of thinking. Spiritual or religious truths and beliefs are understood in very literal ways.
Stage 3: Conventional
(Early Adolescence)
At about adolescence, the teen finds belonging and identification with a group. What the group thinks holds a lot of weight – the teen wants to believe what everyone else believes and there is very little room for questioning the conventional way of belief.
With a strong focus on conformity, faith in this stage is still very external.
👉 James Fowler proposed that many people remain in this Conventional stage of faith.
Stage 4: Reflective
(Early Adolescence – Early Adulthood)
In late adolescence to early adulthood (20’s or so), there might become a shift from external to internal authority and identity of spiritual or religious beliefs. In this stage, you might say:
“Wow, I get a chance to define what I think myself!”
Questions arise along with dichotomous thinking (the old vs the new way I have now). The adult is now responsible for their own self-defining and meaning-making.
Stage 5: Conjunctive
(Middle Adulthood)
Around 30’s to midlife, there becomes another shift however this time away from dichotomous thinking and towards paradox. More than one truth can exist at once, and there’s a sense of validity and comfort there.
With a new language of explaining faith, the adult can return to sacred stories and symbols but with a different perspective, fresh eyes. Comfortable in their beliefs, they can now also learn from other faiths.
Stage 6: Universalizing
(Rare: Adults rarely reach this stage)
Few people reach this stage. This is what is often called enlightenment or oneness with all – peace where there is not a lot of worry or doubt, a universal perspective of transcendence and unity. In this stage, conflicting views aren’t thought of as paradoxes anymore. While there’s a transcendent component, there’s also a connection with humanity.
There’s also a non-dualistic approach to life. They see oneself as part of a whole regardless of nationality, social class, gender, age, race, political ideology, or religious tradition.
Community
Each stage suggests various models of God pertinent to each stage. A model, in this use of the word, can be defined as “an interpretation of reality” [2]. In the assumption that God (or the divine mystery) is a reality, models therefore give words to the intangible and unite one another through common interpretation. As an interpretation, a model is not closed and therefore does not contain the total truth or is it identical to the reality it interprets. In fact, better models allow for the existence of, and the encompassing of, several other models [3]. Our models of God or Source reveal more of who we are than who God is or is not. They are a direct reflection of our experience and reveal our relationship with the local and global community.
References
[1] James W. Fowler, Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, (New York: HarperOne, 1995), 4.
[2] Sister Ruth Ann Eisenstein, “Development Of Some Models Of God And Suggested Relationships To James Fowler’s Stages Of Faith Development,” (Religious Education, 1978), 641.
[3] Ibid.
For another perspective, check out Faith Styles: Ways People Believe by John R. Mabry.