A Review of Assigned Readings

CED 521

Psychology of Religious Learning

Dr. Timothy W. Brock

A Review of Assigned Reading

Prior to class, all participants were asked to read and take notes on Chapters 1-16 of the required text, Nurture That Is Christian, edited by James C. Wilhoit and John M. Dettoni.

· Please note that all Master of Divinity Student will be required to provide a written assessment of Section One of this book and all Master of Religious Education students will be required to provide a written assessment of Section Three of this book.

· Further, all students in the class will develop and present an overview of one of the three developmental theorist covered in this reading.

With that in mind, I thought that the best way to use our class review time would be to demonstrate how the materials in the assigned readings might be used to develop an assessment and ministry plan for individuals in the congregational context.

To that end, we will participant in the following two activities during class.

An Assessment of DJ, Max, and Jane

Please read the following description of three fictitious adults.

DJ (age 20 and an only child) was raised in a very strict Baptist home by his parents, Max and Jane. During their youth, Max and Jane (both college-educated, working professionals in their mid-50’s) had fully experience the “wild side” of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Because of their experiences, both were determined that their son would “walk the straight and narrow.”

Unfortunately, DJ had other ideas. DJ is a brilliant, avant-garde child—not a “wild child” (no drugs or alcohol), just a different child. He reads widely in the areas of philosophy and spirituality, but has little regard to the strict, fundamentalist approach to religion of his parents and his home church. He listens to Euro-Tech music. He drives an old Volvo wagon. He dresses exclusively in black, has an earring in each ear, and has recently gotten a tattoo: a Celtic cross on his upper arm.

Much to his parent’s horror, DJ rejected a scholarship to a Christian university in favor of a full scholarship to a noted school of art and design on the West Coast. Away from his parents for the first time, living in the cultural diversity of Southern California, DJ is using his newly found freedom to live in a co-ed dorm, to explore yoga, and attend a multi-ethnic congregation that bases its worship and small group meetings around Celtic spirituality.

· Using all information contained in the assigned readings, analyze DJ based on the following categories of development: physical, cognitive (Piaget), moral (Kohlberg), psychosocial (Erickson), and faith stage (Fowler). On each point of the analysis, be prepared to explain your response. (A form is attached to facilitate your assessment.)

· Using all information contained in the assigned readings, analyze Max and Jane based on the same categories of development. Note: Since we do not have as much information about Max and Jane, you may need to speculate in some of these categories. On each point of analysis, be prepared to explain your response. (A form is attached to facilitate your assessment.)

· Assume that you are on the staff of multi-ethnic congregation in California that DJ attends. How might you help DJ to accept and live into his current style and stage of faith? Cite at least two specific examples.

· Assume that you are a friend of Max and Jane. Knowing that you are a minister-in-training, the couple comes to you with concerns about DJ and his new life in California. Based on your knowledge of development, in general, and faith development, in particular, how would you respond to their concerns?

We will work through your assessments of DJ, Max, and Jane during the first part of our class time.

Assessment of and Ministry Plan for

A Member of Your Congregation

Prior to class, please select a preschooler, child, adolescent, or adult in your congregation with whom you have a close relationship and with whom you have some type of ministry responsibility. In the space below, write a brief (but detailed) description of this person. Include his or her age, education level, passions, gifts, talents, approach to faith, etc.

When you have written your description of this person, conduct a developmental assessment of this individual (using the attached form). As before, use the following categories of development: physical, cognitive (Piaget), moral (Kohlberg), psychosocial (Erickson), and faith stage (Fowler). On each point of the analysis, be prepared to explain your response. (A form is attached to facilitate your assessment.)

Finally, how might you help this person to accept and live into his or her stages of cognitive, moral, psychosocial, and/or faith development? Cite at least three specific examples.

A Developmental Assessment of DJ

Notes on Physical Development

Cognitive Development

Piaget

Circle the Appropriate Period(s)

Moral Development

Kohlberg

Circle the Appropriate Level and Stage

Psychosocial Development

Erikson

Circle the Appropriate Stage(s)

Faith Development

Fowler

Circle the Appropriate Stage(s)

In the space below, list at least five specific physical development issues at work in this person’s life:

Sensorimotor Period

(Birth to 24 months)

Level I: Preconventional Morality (up to 9 years old)

Stage 1

Trust vs. Mistrust

(Birth to 18 months)

Stage 1

Intuitive-Projective Faith

(Up to about age 6)

Stage 1

Punishment-Obedience

Stage 2

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (18 month to 4 years)

Preoperational Period

(2 to 7 years)

Stage 2

Instrumental Relativist

Stage 3

Initiative vs. Guilt

(4 to 5 years old)

Level II

Conventional Morality

(9-20 years old)

Stage 4

Industry vs. Inferiority

(6-12 years)

Stage 2

Mythical-Literal Faith (Beginning at about age 6)

Period of Concrete Operations

(Beginning at 7 to 11 years)

Stage 3

Good Boy-Nice Girl

Stage 5

Identity vs. Identity Confusion

(13-20 years)

Stage 3

Synthetic-Conventional Faith

(If reached, beginning in childhood)

Stage 4

Law and Order

Stage 6

Intimacy vs. Isolation (21-30 years)

Stage 4

Individuative-Reflective Faith

(If reached, beginning in adolescence)

Period of Formal Operations

(If reached, during adolescence)

Level III

Postconventional Morality

(If reached, after age 20 and only reached by a small number of adults)

Stage 7

Generativity vs. Self-Absorption

(30-60 years)

Stage 5

Conjunctive Faith

(If reached, beginning around 35-40)

Period of Consolidation and Stabilization of Formal Operations

(If reached, during late adolescence or early adulthood)

Stage 5

Social Contract

Stage 8

Integrity vs., Despair (60+)

Stage 6

Universalizing Faith

(If reached, beginning around 45-50

Stage 6

Universal Ethical Principle

A Developmental Assessment of Max and Jane

A Developmental Assessment of: