Fowler's stages of faith development include 6 stages through which individuals progress from childhood through adulthood. Stage 1 involves intuitive and magical thinking in young children. Stage 2 involves concrete thinking in school-aged children who see the world in logical terms. Stage 3 involves establishing identity and conforming to social norms in adolescence through early adulthood. Stage 4 involves establishing individual identity through critically evaluating beliefs. Stage 5 involves embracing paradoxes and multiple perspectives. Stage 6, reached by few, involves a life focused on serving others. Spiritual assessment involves respecting client autonomy, cultural competence, understanding spiritual salience, and facilitating theological reflection to enhance understanding.

1. {Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley
Analysis of Fowler’s Stages of
Spiritual Development through
Assessment

2. Stage 0: Undifferentiated Faith
o 0-2 years of age
o Early learning of the safety of their environment
o Safe and secure vs. neglect and abuse
o Trust vs. mistrust (Erikson)
o Sense of safety in the universe and the Divine
o No distinction between self and environment; self and
those providing primary care
o With time, able to sense the caregiver will return without
undue anxiety
o If security needs not met, there is serious emotional risk

3. Stage 1: Intuitive –Projective Faith
o 2-6 years of age
o Impulsive self
o Fantasy and reality often mixed together
o Imagination combines with perceptions and feelings to
create long-lasting images to represent both the protective
and threatening forces surrounding one’s life
o Basic ideas about God come from stories, experiences and
images through parents and community exposure

4. Stage 2: Mythic-Literal Faith
o Mostly school-aged children (7-11 and beyond)
o Imperial self
o Start to understand the world in more logical ways
o World ordered into categories of causality, space and time
o Sees the world through the structures of one’s needs,
interests, and wishes
o Longs for independence rooted in self confidence and self-
esteem
o Strong belief in the justice and reciprocity of the universe
o Deities almost always anthropomorphic
o Generally accept stories from faith community
o Metaphors and symbolic language often misunderstood
and taken literally
o Adults who remain in this stage are typically self-centered

5. Stage 3: Synthetic-Conventional Faith
o Adolescence to adulthood (11-13 and beyond)
o Interpersonal self
o Exposed to multiple social circles/perspectives
o Pull experiences together and integrate diverse self-images
into a coherent identity
o Tend to not realize they are within a particular belief
system or box
o Have difficulty seeing outside of their system or box
o Place authority in a group of people who represent their
belief system such as a church (emotional solidarity)
o Values and convictions established with little reflection
o Many people remain in this stage
o Their system provides stability
o Uncomfortable or angry when belief system is challenged

6. Stage 4: Individuative-Reflective Faith
o Typically from young adulthood (and beyond)
o Institutional self
o Utilize 3rd person perspective taking and realize their
belief system is one of many; evaluate different systems
o May become disillusioned with original belief system
o Understand self and others as a part of a social system
o Internalization of authority and the assumption of
responsibility for making explicit choices of ideology and
lifestyle; may redefine values/convictions
o Opens the way for critically self-aware commitments in
relationship and vocation = stage of demythologizing
o May move to a place of non-religious and remain there
o Stage 3 people tend to believe Stage 4 people are back
sliding on their faith instead of a seeing growth
o This and prior stages are 60% of people

7. Stage 5: Conjunctive Faith
o Rare for people to reach this stage before midlife (late 30s)
o Inter-Individuative self
o Realize the limits of logic; need for multiple interpretations
of reality
o Embrace polarities in life and accept paradoxes
o See mystery in life and accept many things are unknown
o Return to sacred stories and symbols but without a
particular theological box or perspective
o Realize the truth to be found in the previous 2 stages
o Conflict from previous stages resolved with a complex
understanding of a multidimensional interdependent truth
which cannot be explained by any particular statement
o Emphasis more on community than individual needs
o Fowler found only 1 in 6 people interviewed had reached
this stage

8. Stage 6: Universalizing Faith
o Also referred to as Enlightenment
o God-grounded self
o Few people reach this stage
o Life focused on service to others
o Complete understanding and acceptance of reality
o Absence of fear of the unknown or doubt
o Characterized by a sacrificial life aimed at transformation
of humankind
o Devoted to overcoming division, oppression and
violence

9. Spiritual Assessment
Spiritual Assessment is the process of gathering and
synthesizing spiritual and religious information into a
specific framework that provides basis for, and gives
direction to, subsequent practice decisions (interventions)
Four considerations to guide comprehensive spiritual
assessment: client autonomy, cultural competence, spiritual
norms and service provision, and spiritual salience
Kilts, T. (n.d.) Spiritual Care and Assessment retrieved June 14, 2016 from
http://www.spiritualcare.ca/flow/uploads/pdfs/SPIRITUAL_CARE_AND_ASS
ESSMENT_presentation2.pdf

10. Client Autonomy: always respect a client’s
autonomy/authority/identity; client consent is important;
client determines the pathway (how deep we go, when it is
time to stop)
Cultural Competency: respect client’s worldview, beliefs and
values; be mindful of religious counter-transference (putting
your values onto a client’s experience and guiding); cultural
sensitivity
Spiritual Norms and Provision: do not stereotype or assume
a client’s identified religion is their spiritual awareness or
practice
Spiritual Salience: help clients draw from their own belief
system; facilitate theological reflection that helps clients
enhance their understanding
Kilts, T. (n.d.) Spiritual Care and Assessment retrieved June 14, 2016 from
http://www.spiritualcare.ca/flow/uploads/pdfs/SPIRITUAL_CARE_AND_ASSES
SMENT_presentation2.pdf

11. 1. (Spiritual history) Describe the religious/spiritual tradition
you grew up in.
2. How did your family express its spiritual beliefs?
3. How important was spirituality to your family?
4. What experiences or practices stand out to you from your
years living with your family?
5. What made these experiences special?
6. How have they influenced your later life?
7. How have you changed or matured from those experiences?
8. (Current spirituality) How would you describe your current
spiritual or religious orientation?
9. What things do you believe in that give meaning to your life?
10. Is your spirituality a personal strength? If so, how?
11. (Affect) What aspects of your spiritual life give you pleasure?
12. What role does your spirituality play in handling life’s
sorrows?
13. Enhancing life’s joys?
14. Coping with life’s pain?

12. 15. How does your spirituality give you hope for the future?
16. What do you wish to accomplish in the future?
17. (Behavior) Are there particular spiritual rituals or practices
which help you deal with life’s obstacles?
18. What is your level of involvement in the faith-based
community?
19. How are they supportive?
20. Are there spiritually encouraging individuals you maintain
contact with?
21. (Cognition) What are your current religious/spiritual beliefs?
22. What are they based upon?
23. What beliefs do you find particularly meaningful?
24. What does your faith say about personal trials?
25. How does this belief help you overcome obstacles?
26. How do your beliefs affect your health practices?
27. (Communion) Describe your relationship with your higher
power?
28. What has been your experience of the higher power?

13. 29. How does your higher power communicate with you?
30. How have these experiences encouraged you?
31. Have there been times of deep spiritual intimacy?
32. How does your relationship help you face life challenges?
33. How would your higher power describe you?
34. (Conscience) How do you determine right and wrong?
35. What are your key values?
36. How does your spirituality help you deal with guilt?
37. What role does forgiveness play in your life?
38. (Intuition) To what extent do you experience flashes of
creative insight, premonitions or spiritual insight?
39. Have these insights been a strength in your life? If so, how?
Hodge, D. (2001) Spiritual assessment: A review of major qualitative methods and a
new framework for assessing spirituality. Social Work, 46(3). 203-214.
Puchalski, C. and Romer, A. (2000). Taking spiritual history allows clinicians to
understand patients more fully. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 3(1). 129 – 137

14. References
Hodge, D. (2001) Spiritual assessment: A review of major qualitative methods and
a new framework for assessing spirituality. Social Work, 46(3). 203-214.
Kilts, T. (n.d.) Spiritual Care and Assessment retrieved June 14, 2016 from
http://www.spiritualcare.ca/flow/uploads/pdfs/SPIRITUAL_CARE_AND_ASSES
SMENT_presentation2.pdf
Peck, M. (1987). James Fowler’s stages of faith. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologycharts.com/james-fowler-stages-of-faith.html
Puchalski, C. and Romer, A. (2000). Taking spiritual history allows clinicians to
understand patients more fully. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 3(1). 129 – 137
Summary of Stages of Selfhood and Faith Development (n.d.) Retrieved June 14,
2016 from
http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/pdfs/reynolds/Brief_Summary_of_Stages_of_
Selfhood_and_Faith_Development.pdf