Religion and adult development: Are there postformal stages in religious cognition? Theoretical considerations, empirical evidence, and promotion of development in adulthood.

Abstract

In recent years there has been renewed interest in questions regarding religious and spiritual development, and their relationship to other domains of human development, in psychological science. One pioneering research domain in this developmental area of the psychology of religion explores whether there exist postformal stages in cognition pertaining to religious questions, and decision making where religious elements may be pertinent. In this article we demonstrate the utility of the model of hierarchical complexity in conducting research in this domain, showing the existence of postformal stages in adult populations, some images of religious “belief” in a postformal frame, and emerging patterns of postformal prospects among “gifted” young people. We consider some repercussions of models of human development and for working with young people and adults.