The early stages of faith

Faith is the term used to describe the ability to make sense of life. It is a frame of reference through which we view the world and interpret the events that occur within it. The word "faith" includes all our beliefs -- both religious and secular - and encompasses our entire system of values. It guides our actions and gives meaning to life. (What we choose to have faith in - God, science, the goodness of humankind - is another interesting topic, though not relevant to this article.)

Developmental theorist James W. Fowler proposed that we progress through six stages of spiritual formation.. As in Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, Fowler's model allows for ongoing negotiation of each developmental task. We work through the stages, but not in an entirely linear fashion. Fowler depicts his six stages as a spiral, with points at which it is possible - and sometimes necessary - to revisit earlier stages before moving ahead. In this way, both the form and the content of our faith are re-evaluated, leading to a more mature perspective. It should be noted, however, that not everyone progresses through all the stages. Fowler stated that an individual can reach a plateau of development at any point from Stage Two on, and remain in that mode of faith throughout his life.

During the pre-stage years from birth to about two, which Fowler calls "undifferentiated faith", important work is occurring. Even before the child understands the concept of language, he is taking in experiences and forming fundamental beliefs about the nature of the world based on the quality of the care he receives. Loving and consistent care allows the child to develop a sense of trust that will become the foundation for his self-image, his perceptions of the people around him and the world he lives in, and yes, for his later image of God. Erikson previously identified this as the first task of the ego.

Stage One - Intuitive-Projective Faith
Stage one faith begins around the age of two, when the child has come to understand language and other symbolic representation, and lasts until six or seven, with the emergence of concrete operational thinking. Stage-one children learn by example. Anyone with a two-year-old in the house knows the obsession with which the child mimics the parent's actions and speech. It is also a time when strong imaginative skills are unfettered by the constraints of reality and logic. This, said Fowler, is the strength of stage one. Through it, he said, the child can grasp the world as it is presented in stories and images that reflect the child's intuitive understanding of and feelings toward truths about the human condition.

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