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Perdev Written Report

This document outlines Fowler's Stages of Spiritual Development which describes 6 stages of spiritual growth from birth through adulthood. It also provides 16 suggestions for improving spiritual development such as spreading kindness, practicing gratitude, cultivating solitude, and promoting peace. Some activities mentioned are meditation, self-care, mission trips, and incorporating daily rituals. The overall document focuses on human spiritual growth and development.

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Tricia Mendoza
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111 views

Perdev Written Report

This document outlines Fowler's Stages of Spiritual Development which describes 6 stages of spiritual growth from birth through adulthood. It also provides 16 suggestions for improving spiritual development such as spreading kindness, practicing gratitude, cultivating solitude, and promoting peace. Some activities mentioned are meditation, self-care, mission trips, and incorporating daily rituals. The overall document focuses on human spiritual growth and development.

Uploaded by

Tricia Mendoza
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GROUP 4: SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

Leader: Miclat, Tricia


MEMBERS:
Vidad, Ara
Gurung, Lokraj
Sagaya, Mikko
Siquette, Jericho

Fowler's Spiritual Development Theory

In the second half of the 20th century, theologian James Fowler proposed a
framework for spiritual development that he suggests parallels the frameworks for
other aspects of human development.

Stage 0: Primal or Undifferentiated Stage (Birth to 2 years)

In this stage, a very small child learns to rely on the goodness (or badness or
inconsistency) of the world based on how that child is treated by their parents.

Stage 1: Intuitive-Projective Stage (3 to 7 years)

In Stage 1, children are beginning to be able to use symbols and their imaginations.

Stage 2: Mythic-Literal Stage (6 to 12 years, school age)

During this stage, information is organized into stories. These stories, along with
moral rules, are understood literally and concretely.
Stage 3: Synthetic-Conventional Stage (Adolescence to early
adulthood; some people remain permanently in this stage)

In this stage, people believe without having critically examined their beliefs. Their
beliefs are in what they have been taught and in what they see “everyone else” as
believing too. There is a strong sense of identity with the group.

Stage 4: Individuative-Reflective Stage (The earlier in adulthood, the


easier on the person)

In this stage, a person begins to recognize they are in a “box” and look outside it.
People in this stage ask questions and see the contradictions or problems in their
beliefs.

Stage 5: Conjunctive Stage (Usually not before mid-life)

In this stage, a person who has gone through the deconstruction of the
individuative-reflective stage begins to let go of some of the reliance on their own
rational mind and recognize that some experiences are not logical or easily
understood at all.

Stage 6: Universalizing Stage

Very few people reach this stage, which is characterized by seeing all of humanity as
one brotherhood and taking profound, self-sacrificing action to care for all humanity
because of this view.

Ways we can improve our spiritual development

1. Spread Kindness
Look for ways that you can help serve your community, especially by taking actions that
promise no reward, such as helping someone who has their hands full or holding the
door open for the person behind you.
2. Practice Gratitude
If you’re like me, you may go through periods of time in your life when you’re oblivious to
all of the positive things that you have, or you fail to proactively consider them. There are
so many ways that you can practice gratitude–and, according to Forbes, being grateful is
quite possibly the topmost spiritual practice. Having gratitude helps us recognize value,
dignity, and worthiness in everything, so you may actually consider it to be a remedy for
many forms of suffering. Because of this, some have said that simply practicing
gratitude can be its own form of spirituality.

3. Take a Leap of Faith


Spiritual growth requires taking a leap of faith every once in a while–regardless of what
“faith” means to you. For example, rather than staying up late worrying about an
upcoming event at work that you’re scheduled to host, try to relax a bit and let your plan
of execution evolve on its own. Take a leap of faith and believe that you will be provided
with the resources you need to succeed–whether that’s from God, another state of
higher consciousness, or through your own values that define your spirituality.

4. Cultivate Solitude
There are several ways in which you can do this, whether it’s taking 10 minutes to
meditate after each meal or choosing one day per week to be completely screen-free.
Philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche once said, “Solitude makes us tougher toward
ourselves and tenderer toward others; in both ways it improves our character.”

5. Spread Love Everywhere You Go


This is the advice of Mother Teresa, who taught, “Let no one ever come to you without
leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your
face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”

6. Get Your Priorities Straight

7. Meditate on a Daily Basis

-Meditation and spirituality really work together.


8. Make your own choices.

You have to exercise your freedom to choose your attitudes and your actions. You have
as much control over feeling frustration as you do acceptance. You can choose love over
hate and forgiveness over seeking revenge. You can choose to learn and grow from your
mistakes or to give up. Keep in mind that a crisis can bring out the best or worst in
anyone, and that choice is up to you.

9. Show Empathy to Others

Living with a sense of empathy means being able to consciously relate to others with
your own life experiences. This creates a new level of patience and compassion toward
other people that may lead to more helping behaviors to relieve other people’s suffering.

10. Go on a Mission Trip

Going on a mission trip is a very good way to grow spiritually, especially if you take
lessons home with you that change your everyday way of life.

11. Join a Bible Study

If you express your spirituality through religion, join a Bible study or another organized
group who can work with you on translating ancient texts into our modern times.

12.Incorporate Rituals Into Your Life

Plan to incorporate spiritual habits–or rituals– into your day. These don’t have to be
major, formal rites of a specific system of faith–just small, repeated daily actions that
relate to your spirituality.

13. Practice Self-Care

Engaging in self-care allows you to nurture your sense of connection and meaning in
your life. It is just as important to nourish your soul with spirit as it is your body with
water and food. Find an activity that is meaningful to you and don’t think of it as an
indulgence, think of it as sustenance for your wellbeing. Engaging in self-care will help
you live a more balanced life.
14. Write in a Journal

Once you’re clear on your beliefs, it’s important to keep track of how you’re adhering to
them in your daily life. Are you doing things that conflict with your views? How could you
increase the cohesion of your actions and your spiritual beliefs?

15. Let Go of Your Vices

If you tend to overindulge in unhealthy actions or you find that you care too much about
trivial things (such as video games, celebrity gossip, etc.), you’re likely to realize that this
is impeding your spiritual journey. Start to let go of your bad habits and replace them
with meaningful hobbies that are in line with your spiritual beliefs.

16. Promote Peace

A spiritually attuned life is one filled with both inner and outer peace. Therefore, an
advantageous goal is to identify ways to make your relationships, thoughts, and actions
more peaceful.

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