Faith Development, Moral Development, and Old Age, 1978

This study was done to explore religious development (as defined by James Fowler) in a population of older adults. In addition to examining the trends of faith development, the study assessed the relationship between faith development stage scores and scores on other structural developmental and psychodynamic measures. The research explored aspects of ethical and religious development which bear specifically on an understanding of the aging process. Participants were 20 women and 20 men, all but two of whom were over the age of 60. Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and the non-affiliated individuals were represented in the sample. They were contacted by direct mail solicitation, through community organizations, and through word-of-mouth. The interviews were conducted over a three-year period from 1975 to 1978. All participants were given Fowler's (1973-1975) semistructured faith development interview that included ethnic and demographic information, "landmark" events and/or influences, a discussion of values, personal philosophy and "faith" issues, and specific questions on aging and developmental changes in relation to the foregoing topics. Other instruments employed (but not administered to all subjects) were: 1) 10 Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) cards scored according to Isaac's "relatability" scale (1956); 2) the standard Rorschach procedure scored using the Klopfer (1954) system and Shulik's index of psychopathological imagery; 3) two of Kohlberg's moral dilemmas (1978); and 4) the Loevinger Sentence Completion Test of ego development (1970). The Murray Research Archive holds all Faith interviews, as well as Kohlberg Moral Judgment Interviews, Rorschach inkblot tests, Thematic Apperception Test, and the Loevinger Sentence Completion Test for some subjects.