Kohlberg's Stages of Faith Development: From Childhood to Universal Compassion

Stage 1 - Intuitive-projective faith

Faith is magical, illogical, imaginative, and filled with fantasy, especially about the power of God and the mysteries of birth and death. Typical of children ages 3 to 7.

Stage 2 - Mythic-literal faith

Individuals take the myths and stories of religion literally, believing simplistically in the power of symbols. God is seen as rewarding those who follow divine laws and punishing others. Typical of ages 7 to 11.

Stage 3 - Synthetic-conventional faith

This is a conformist stage. Faith is conventional, reflecting concern about other people and favoring 'what feels right' over what makes intellectual sense.

Stage 4 - Individual-reflective faith

Faith is characterized by intellectual detachment from the values of the culture and from the approval of other people. College may be the springboard for this stage. Faith becomes an active commitment.

Stage 5 - Conjunctive faith

Faith incorporates both powerful emotional ideas (such as the power of prayer or the love of God) and rational conscious values (such as the worth of life compared with that of property). People are willing to accept contradictions. Rarely achieved before middle age.

Stage 6 - Universalizing faith

People at this stage have a powerful vision of universal compassion, justice, and love that compels them to live their lives in a way that others may think is either saintly or foolish.