FAITH DEVELOPMENT

THEORY
By: Sharon Daloz Parks
WHO IS SHARON
DALOZ PARKS?
and
WHAT is all about
her Faith
Development
Theory?
Drawing on her more than 30 years of
professional engagement with young adults
in varying capacities, Daloz Parks suggests
that in today’s rapidly changing and
evolving global village, we need not only to
be concerned about education and
employment for young adults, but with
their life of faith, understood in the broad
sense of how they make meaning.
 “Faith is the activity of
seeking and discovering
meaning in the most
comprehensive dimension
of our experience.”
To develop the theory, Parks
drew heavily on the work of
earlier theorists, Perry,
Kegan & Gilligan and
Fowler.
THE MEANING OF FAITH

Validation of Faith is seen through;

1. Lived Experience
2. Public Awareness in every day decision
making
3. Obedience
4. Courage
Young adults are particularly susceptible to a
variety of ideologies, charismatic leaders,
and communities, it is important to
understand the content for which faith
develops, and the structure. According to
Parks, symbols, images and ideology give
meaning to Faith. (Parks 2000)
By: Sharon Daloz Parks
There are four periods of
development she bases her theory on:
●Multi-dimensional or Spiral
●Individuals need familiar and
dependable networks of people,
place, and communities to explore
and develop their values.
The Role of the Imagination in Faith
Development

1. A Process
2. An act on naming one’s experiences.
3. A way of participating in the ongoing
creation of life itself.
5 Moments which are involved in the
decision making process of
imagination:

1. CONSCIOUS CONFLICT: one

becomes uncomfortable with their
current situation. The individual begins
to explore other beliefs.
2. PAUSE: there is clarification
of an issue, Parks believes it is
best to let the situation rest.
3. IMAGE: the "aha" moment
when the situation becomes
clear.
4. REPATTERNING AND RELEASE OF
ENERGY: tension has now been
released from previous conflict. There
is now a more adequate orientation to
reality.
5. INTERPRETATION: proof that a new
insight is fully a part of one's life,
referred to as testimony.
Parks’s views young adulthood as a
time when a person begins to self-
consciously reflect on life’s meaning.
Their world is consumed with
questions regarding purpose, vocation,
and belonging. There is a huge sense of
ambivalence.
Parks's work differentiates from Fowler's Theory in
two ways:
1. Parks focused more on the connection between
the structure and the content of faith, and the role
of affect and imagination in the process.
2. The stage of young adulthood, in Parks's
perception, was missing from earlier works. At this
point individuals begin to take responsibility for
themselves. This stage rarely occurs till age
seventeen and some may not reach it at all.
4 PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT

1. Adolescence or Conventional
2. Young Adult
3. Tested Adult
4. Mature Adult
FORMS OF
KNOWING
AUTHORITY BOUND
Duration: Early Adolescence.

• Individuals place their trust in known authorities,

such as parents, religious teachers, or teachers OR in
impersonal authorities such as media, cultural figures,
or customs.

• Life is seen in rigid terms, and there is very little

ambiguity.
UNQUALIFIED RELATIVISM
Duration: Adolescence.

• Trusted authorities are now seen as

imperfect, and there is the realization that
reality has many forms.

• This shift can happen in a variety of

different ways.
• Knowledge is now seen as relative,
meaning that knowledge is shaped by, and
thus relative to, the context and the
relationships within which it is composed.

• Many truths are now recognized because

of experience.

• Opinions based on evidence are seen as

more valid.
PROBING COMMITMENT
Duration: Young Adult.

• There are tentative commitments during

this period that are often short term but
based on "serious, critically aware
exploration."

• Future plans are based on relationships,

vocation, and faith.
TESTED COMMITMENT
Duration: Tested Adult.

•One's form of knowing and being takes on

a tested quality because the self has a
deepened quality of at-homeness and
centeredness.

• As individuals advance in adulthood, their

commitments become more secure.
CONVICTIONAL COMMITMENT
Duration: Mature Adult.
• A new form of deep commitment arises that may
have been named wisdom.

• This wisdom results from actively exploring the

complexity and "mystery of life."

• Individuals possess a deep commitment to their

own understanding of truth and the ability to
recognize and appreciate the truth of others.
 FORMS OF
DEPENDENCE
DEPENDENT/COUNTERDEPENDENT
Duration: Adolescence.

• Adolescents rely on authority to

determine how they should feel about an
event in their lives.

• This reliance is challenged when the truth

they have been taught is proven untrue.
• RESPONSE -> Counterdependence: reaction
against the positions of their authorities rather
than creating new truth.

RESULT: Authorities still have the power to

determine one's reactions.
• SMOOTH PROCESS: If one is encouraged to
explore by benevolent authorities.
• DIFFICULT PROCESS: If one has a tighter
relationship with authorities and they resist the
pulling away of the individual.
FRAGILE INNER DEPENDENCE
Duration: Young Adult.

• Young adults develop fragile inner

dependence.

• Inner dependence balances the views of others

with one's own views.

• One can self consciously include their self

within the arena of authority.
• An "inner voice" develops.

• Individuals are vulnerable and need

support at this stage.

• Mentors become very valuable in

providing guidance to reinforce new
identities.
CONFIDENT INNER DEPENDENCE
Duration: Tested Adult.
• Confidence builds through time and as the
individuals receive encouragement in the
process of developing their own sense of
self and faith.
• Confident inner dependence is a
necessary precursor to interiority, or inner
dialogue.
INTERDEPENDENCE
Duration: Mature Adult.
⚫ Midlife, a strong sense of self leads to a
new understanding of faith.
• One can now come to see the value in
others' beliefs and perspectives without
them challenging their own values.
• Connections are made between self,
others, the world, and God
 FORMS OF
COMMUNITY
CONVENTIONAL COMMUNITY
Duration: Adolescence.

• Face to face communities are of most

importance in adolescence.

• Individuals adhere to the norms of the

significant people and groups in their lives
and are dependent on others to define
themselves.
DIFFUSE COMMUNITY
Duration: Adolescence.
• Familiar social groups become uncomfortable as
adolescents begin to explore new ideas and ways of
being.
• Relationships are difficult to maintain because of
the constant changes in one's views.
• Individuals search for new relationships to
confirm their tentative choices. • A new community
is formed.
MENTORING COMMUNITY
Duration: Young Adult.

• This community is very important in

recognizing and encouraging the potential of
the individual.

• This is a support system for the student as

they distance themselves from their pasts.
SELF-SELECTED GROUP
Duration: Tested Adult.

•Tested Adults seek out communities that

share their beliefs and make meaning in the
same ways.

• Like individuals start to form their own

communities.
OPEN TO OTHER GROUPS
Duration: Mature Adult.
• This group is sought at midlife.
• There is a deepening awareness of otherness
that can lead to further transformation.
• This community truly values different
perspectives.
How many of you feel that you are
pursuing your faith journey on your
own?
How many of you still seek
guidance in establishing your
beliefs?
Who do you look to for support?