From my point of view, there is undoubtedly a certain kind of connection between the development of faith and other areas of human development. In this context, I agree with Fowler and Dell (2004) and their theory that links spiritual growth to specific stages in a person’s life. However, although there are parallels with Piaget’s framework in this work, even the authors themself speak of the possibility of non-coincidence. Although the development process, according to Fowler (2001), is strictly sequential and hierarchical, it can be separated from other factors. Undoubtedly, the initial stages of development coincide since, for example, an infant cannot suddenly reach enlightenment.
Thus, it seems that it is necessary first to reach a certain level of development in other areas before the vectors of development of the spiritual and material can diverge. For example, you first need to go into adolescence to get a general understanding of the world, after which spiritual development can get much faster. In addition, I would agree with specific points of criticism of Piper (2002), especially regarding the non-strictly vertical development process. However, from my point of view, faith is a much more dynamic and complex concept to be subject only to vertical movement. In addition, religion can be the basis for spiritual development, greatly expanding this process (Lunn, 2009). Therefore, there are specific interactions of faith development with other areas, but there is no strict dependence.
In the context of my personal development, I can note that it was in my case that the personal development of faith was separated from physical development since I had to grow up spiritually much earlier. As a teenager, I had to take care of my younger brother and sister, forcing me to reconsider some of my views on life, relationships with parents, and my place in the world. Because of this, even though Fowler and Dell (2004) argued that I was supposed to be in Stage Three, I had to advance to Stage Four in advance, taking responsibility for my emotions, feelings, and beliefs. However, this transition was fraught with great difficulties, so it is difficult to assess whether this influence was positive or negative. At the current moment, my spiritual and biological development are stabilized and are approximately at the same level.
References
Fowler, J. W. (2001). Faith development theory and the postmodern challenges. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 11(3), 159-172. Web.
Fowler, J. W., & Dell, M. L. (2004). Stages of faith and identity: Birth to teens. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 13(1), 17-33. Web.
Lunn, J. (2009). The role of religion, spirituality and faith in development: A critical theory approach. Third World Quarterly, 30(5), 937-951. Web.
Piper, E. (2002). Faith development: A critique of Fowler’s model and a proposed alternative. Journal of Liberal Religion, 3(1).