Stage Four - Individuative-Reflective Faith
In stage four faith, one's previously held tacit system of beliefs is replaced by explicit meanings and values. That is, the person begins to question and define his beliefs. He has begun to take responsibility for his beliefs. He no longer simply "knows" or accepts tenets of faith. Rather, he examines them in light of the context in which they developed. Moving to stage four faith means disassociating from the groups with which one previously identified, and forming a new identity based on the new insights he is gaining. One moves from an external to an internal locus of authority. Symbols and rituals are now examined apart from their meanings, and these are translated into "conceptual foundations", Fowler said. For some, this process of defining the transcendent can lead to a sense of loss and even guilt. Stage four, in those who attain it, ideally occurs in the early 20s, when one is forming an adult identity. However, some adults do not make the transition to stage four until their 30s or 40s. A transition at this point often is precipitated by some significant life change and is usually very intense. The process can take as long as seven years to resolve itself.
Stage Five - Conjunctive Faith
In Stage four, the individual "dichotomizes", Fowler said, but Stage five moves beyond that. The person of Stage five faith can see many perspectives and believes that everything is somehow interrelated. Understanding her environment is now a more reciprocal endeavor; rather than imposing her own frame of reference, she is willing to broaden her perspective in order to accommodate the new information. Stage five is a time of undoing the firm boundaries erected by the previous stage; conjunctive faith is strong enough to see the truth in many belief systems, leading to a true ecumenicism.
This openness is born of its deep conviction in the truths taught by one's own faith tradition. Stage five reintegrates symbols with their meanings, and revisits aspects of childhood faith.
Stage Six - Universalizing Faith
People of Stage six faith are rare. This stage is characterized by an extreme selflessness in the service of humanity. Universalizing faith is all inclusive, committed to justice and love, and determined to work toward transforming the world. Fowler sites Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mother Teresa as examples. He said they "have a special grace that makes them seem more lucid, more simple, and yet somehow more fully human than the rest of us." They are, however, often seen as subversive, in that they do not hesitate to act on their beliefs in absolute love and justice, regardless of the impact on social institutions. Their subversive tendencies spring from their absolute belief in and commitment to their visions of what life can and should be.
