Examining Religious and Spiritual Development During Childhood and Adolescence

Abstract

What does “spirituality” look like in a child? Does religion make a genuine difference in the lives of children and youth? How do we measure spiritual and religious development in children and adolescents? How can we characterize religious and spiritual development in its processes, sequences, and stages? These are a few daunting challenges facing our field, and I will address them here (to varying degrees of thoroughness). I first examine the historical neglect and recent attention regarding spirituality and religion and childhood and adolescence. Second, I explore definitional challenges inherent in this field. I then offer a selective review of very recent research literature that illuminates key issues in three emphases in the field: children’s religious concepts, social dynamics that influence religiosity and spirituality, and religion’s role in adolescent wellbeing and thriving. In addition, I problematize some assumptions about religious and spiritual development by challenging their implicit foundations derived from developmental theory.