Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
TJ Peck
One’s identities give them lenses in which they view the world. Like other foundations of
one’s identity, such as race, sexual orientation, and social class, faith frames the way one view
and interacts with the world and how the world interacts with them. Faith, whether connected to
a religion or not, is almost always connected to some form of moral code or rules defining right
and wrong. When studying student development theory, there is a noticeable disconnect between
faith and morality symbolized by the pages dividing the sections. Not only is morality
disconnected from faith, but Fowler's Theory of Faith Development is also missing a crucial
stage in a person’s faith development dealing with the crisis found at the discovery of
contradictions between faith-based morals and societal norms or beliefs. The societal norm in
this sense is referring to behavioral customs and societal laws and the expected reaction of those
involved (Mckay & Harvey, 2015). This paper discusses the need for an additional stage in
Fowler’s Theory of Faith Development, which analyzes the development found at the collision
First synthesized in 1978, Fowler created six stages, and a pre-stage, that outline the
development of one's faith. The pre-stage is primal faith and discusses the relationship between
God and one's caretakers. During this stage, typically from birth to age three, God is likened to
the person who cares and supports the child. Stages one and two discuss the development from
an imaginative idea of God to one's development of substantive rules and morals based in faith.
These stages typically take place from ages three to twelve and give the adolescent the frame for
shaping a dualistic view of the world. Stage three discusses the permanent place for most adults
as the faith is something not personal, but more obligatory. During this stage, one does not have
FAITH REVISITED 3
a sure enough, grasp on their faith to formulate opinions and beliefs individually. This dualistic
view most often takes shape in the demonizing of another's actions while participating in
"immoral" actions themselves. Stage four is where faith becomes personal, and one is
responsible for developing their beliefs based upon the tenets of their faith. In this stage, most
commonly seen between the ages of twenty-one and thirty, the desire is for an understanding of
oneself through their faith. Stage five is where one begins to ascribe meaning to experiences and
is considered the end-point of the natural progression of development. This stage also
accompanies the ability to respect another's belief even though in contradiction of one's own. The
last stage, six, is rarely achieved, and among its characteristics is the sacrificing of one's own life
to one's spiritual values (Patton, Renn, Guido, & Quaye, 2016). Fowler suggested that the
majority of adults will end their development in stages three, four or five. What this paper is
suggesting, is the addition of Stage 4a in which one’s faith-based morals clash with societal
norms causing dissonance. For this purpose, contextualization is necessary for faith-based
morals.
Faith-Based Morals
morality, and the stage of someone's moral development is a factor of cognitive development and
component on their morality would be foolhardy. Most practiced forms of faith take shape in a
religion that has some form of moral code. Whether a dominant religion, such as Abrahamic
Shintoism, they all have some form of code or law that give some definition of morality for their
followers. While these codes are different depending on faith followed, these moral codes assist
FAITH REVISITED 4
the follower toward an end goal, if any, such as Nirvana, heaven, reincarnation, or similar ideas.
These codes can often be found in stark contradiction to societal norms and can cause a stage of
dissonance within the development of a student’s faith. For the sake of objectivity, no discussion
on the morality of societal norms will be discussed, just the existence of absolute morals of right
A student that has is encompassed with a like-minded religious community and family
will often not have encountered the right situation in which they witness something societally or
legally correct, but morally wrong in their eyes. The most common and prevalent example of this
A college is a place where the exploration of safe sex and sexuality is thoroughly
encouraged. Research on the subject matter of sex in college even has findings that encourage
students to have sex in college (Patrick, Maggs, & Abar, 2007). Whether statistically correct or
incorrect, the concept of premarital sex is a moral wrong in the belief of the majority of popular
religions found on college campuses. This is an example of a societal norm that clashes with the
faith-based morality of students. Another example of a societal norm that clashes with faith-
based morality, one that is backed up by United States law, is that of same-sex marriage. While
same-sex marriage is now a right protected by the United States government, like pre-marital
sex, the majority of the popular religions found on college campuses have some disagreement
with this form of matrimony and classify it as morally wrong. In research done by the Pew
Research Center (2014), the center found that of those in the sample that opposed same-sex
marriage, 92% were in opposition due to religious beliefs. College campuses are a place of
inclusivity and acceptance, and for someone that comes from a sheltered background or a
FAITH REVISITED 5
profoundly religious community, these societal norms can be a shock to their system of faith.
This shock/crisis that takes place during the transition from stage three and stages four of
can be as long and as distinguished as the various stages highlighted. This is the case for the
transition from stage three, where one practices their faith in a literal and impersonal way, to
stage four, where one's faith is self-authored through reflection. Stage 4a is a proposed stage
where the individual is faced with situations that challenge faith found in stage three and begins
to reflect upon their faith in preparation for self-authorship. In the examples of societal norms
proposed above, a student who is in stage three and encounters homosexuality, or the calm
One, someone who is not at a high enough cognitive level of faith development will
consider the variable being introduced and will entrench themselves in their belief, for the time
being, keeping their dualistic view condemning the variable introduced. The second will be the
the gradual climb to stage four. One instance of dissonance will not cause the transition from
stage three to four. In the case where someone is susceptible to the acknowledgment of
pluralistic views, in Fowler's Theory of Faith Development, they are caught in limbo between
stages or are in stage 4a. Stage 4a is the stage where one is open to the idea of other viewpoints
and is in the process of researching both their faith and the views of others in order to create their
self-authored faith. The introduction of a multitude of variables is needed, sex, alcohol, drugs,
alternative lifestyles, and alternative faiths are needed for a complete transformation from stage
FAITH REVISITED 6
three to four. These introductions and the resulting dissonance can be immediate as alluded in
Fowler's model, or, as research demonstrates, can span weeks, months or years (Tite, 2003).
Further research, described below, indicates that the introduction of dissonance to these students
does not always sway them away from their religion or faith, but can also act as a humanizing
Stage 6:
Universalizing
Stage 5 Faith
Conjunctive
Stage 4a: Faith Faith
Disonnance
Stage 4:
Individual
Stage 3: Reflective Faith
Synthetic
Stage 2: Conventional
Mythical/Literal
Stage 1: Faith
Intuitive
Projective Faith
Inarguably the time when one ventures out for the first time, alone, from their community
has a drastic effect on who they are as an individual. College serves as this first time for many of
the youth of the United States. The college has a statistically relevant effect on these youth as
demonstrated by the 2004 study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles. In their
study, they found that religious commitment dropped extensively as a student continued through
college. This is most demonstrated by the statistic of only 29% of college students who reported
attending religious services as a freshman had continued to attend religious services as a junior.
Moreover, of all the students in the sample, only 9% reported growth in religiousness from
FAITH REVISITED 7
freshmen to junior (Astin, Astin, & Lindholm 2004). Research on this topic is not all negative,
however.
In the same UCLA study, the researchers discovered a 7% growth in the importance of
growth in helping others who are in difficulty (Astin, Astin, & Lindholm., 2004). Another study
hypothesized the inaccuracy of the effect secularization of college campuses has on students of
faith, found a similar positive effect. This study found growth in faith and spirituality even with a
Conclusion
Conclusions on what the effect of college is on students of faith are mixed and
demonstrate the need for further investigation. What is clear is the statement that college has an
effect on students of faith and must be considered in Fowler’s Theory of Faith Development. The
introduction of a transitional stage between stage three and four, 4a, gives further depth of
understanding for students who experience faith-related dissonance during their college
experience. The result of this dissonance does not always incorporate progress but can also result
in regression. With the incorporation of Stage 4a, a student affairs practitioner can better assist
the development of a student’s faith, allowing the student to incorporate meaning and humanity
Reference
Astin, A., Astin, W., & Lindholm, J. (2004). The study reveals the influences of college
Bell, D., & Cox, M., (2015). Social norms: Do we love norms too much? Journal of
Hartley, H. (2004). How college students’ religious faith and practice: A review of
McKay, R., & Whitehouse, H. (2015). Religion and morality. Psychological Bulletin
141(2). 113-123
Patrick, M., Maggs, J., & Abar, C., (2007). Reasons to have sex, personal goals, and
sexual behavior during the transition to college. Journal of Sex Research 44(3).
Patton, L., Renn, K., Guido, F., & Quaye, S. (2016). Student development in college:
Pew Research Center (2014). Views about same-sex marriage. Pew Research Center.
about-same-sex-marriage/
Tite, P. (2003). On the necessity of crisis: A reflection on pedagogical conflict and the