Adapting the Faith Development Model to Muslim Populations: A New Framework

Changes in religiosity have profound effects on human behavior. Developing a comprehensive theory, along with instruments to test it, to explain the diversity in religiosity has been a critical goal in the history of the psychology of religion. The theory of faith development, primarily based on the cognitive development model, has made significant contributions to understanding religiosity. However, it has been widely criticized for its normative stance, lack of clarity in the definition of faith, insufficient empirical evidence, neglect of the content of faith, and failure to account for elements of other culture-specific religions. The aim of this study is to introduce a culturally sensitive, modified theoretical model of faith development tailored to Muslim religiosity styles. This model encompasses dimensions of both religious and non-religious content, intersecting with a spectrum of cognitive styles ranging from less sophisticated to highly sophisticated. Based on empirical findings, the autobiographies of leading Muslim historical figures, and the discourses of contemporary religious individuals, a revised version of the faith development model is proposed. The study argues that both secular and religious styles should be integrated into the model and introduces four main dimensions: Objectors (antagonistic and dissenting), Conservers (particularistic and conforming), Seekers (dialectical and enlightened), and Unifiers (apologetic and compassionate), each with two sub-dimensions. While retaining elements of the original Fowlerian faith development model presented by Fowler 1981, the new model incorporates critical and antagonistic approaches to religiosity, advanced forms of religious expression, and more nuanced variations within each religiosity style. An empirical study has been conducted to support this new model, and its findings will be published in a separate paper due to space constraints.