The Biggest Influences On Young Adolescents

Roehlkepartain, E.C., King, P.E., Wagener, L., & Benson, P.L. (2006). The handbook of spiritual development in childhood and adolescence. Th

Presented with the task of assessing someone’s faith development required the answers to three essential questions. How has social learning played a part in the individual’s religious development? How has attachment played a part in the individual’s religious development? Upon answering these questions we must then evaluate the stages of faith development in which the individual is in according to James Fowler and David Elkind. After thorough evaluation has occurred the question pertaining to the role of doubt can then be answered. With these questions in mind, the theory that religious beliefs and adherence to spiritual faith are ultimately tested and proved during adolescence was the driving thought throughout the process of interviewing

The Cognitive Science Journal found that children who were exposed to religion have a harder time distinguishing fact from fiction. In their study, they told 66 five and six year old children stories containing both realistic and supernatural elements. Out of all of the participants the children who regularly attended church had a significantly harder time identifying the supernatural elements as fictional than those who hadn’t attended church regularly. Devout religion seems to continue to impact children into their teenage years. NBC News found that teen birth rates are higher in religious states. Mississippi ranks at the top in both teenage birth rates and conservative religious beliefs. Experts say that this is mainly due to the discouragement of contraception in religious

Abstract: The Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is a religion invisibly growing amongst U.S. teenagers. It is an interfaith religion which is has been developed on a book by Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton called Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. The article on “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” as U.S. Teenagers ' Actual, Tacit, De Facto Religious Faith ...

Dean has written a disturbing yet thought-provoking book on the current religious state of America’s teenagers. The background research for this book was the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). This was one of the largest studies ever of the religious views of teenagers. Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls “moralistic therapeutic deism.” In other words, it’s a watered-down faith that depicts God as a “divine therapist” whose primary objective is to boost people’s self-esteem.

“The most important factor in whether young people leave the church or remain steadfast in their faith is whether they have a safe haven to express their doubts and concerns regarding their faith before leaving home. Such a refuge is found in two places: their home and their church youth ministry” ("Why Are So Many Young People Falling Away from the Faith?"). Young people in today’s culture are constantly judged by the people around them. To fit in many push away from their faith to seem “cooler” to their peers. The younger generations don’t develop a grounded relationship with their faith and have fewer and fewer people to guide them.

„X     Religion ¡V In an Australian context, religion holds varied importance in childhood socialization. For some children, attending church, a mosque or a synagogue with family provides an introduction to the beliefs, values and morals that are socialized throughout their lives.

1. SPIRITUAL- Spiritual health involves a child’s sense of worth and having placed in the world and being united with the environment. In childhood settings to feel Sense of worth in children, they need to be heard to fulfil their needs and interests (Thomas (1994) and Thomas and Shepherd (2000). Educators and parents create an environment for children to integrate experiences of self worth, calm, immobility and entertainment, enable children’s spirituality to be observed and nurtured through safe, secure and supported relationship (being, belonging and becoming; outcome-1) with children by educators and parents. Sometimes children’s spiritual wellness effects when and educators and parents make decisions for them and the children are told

Every day we make decisions that are influenced by those around us. The value sets that we begin to form at birth influence what we buy, what we wear, and how we act are always at risk based on the behavior of those around us. The people around us serve as either support to stick to, or an excuse to stray from what we believe. Outside influences such as the media, teachers, parents, and political leaders help young people to define our beliefs by exposing them to a wide variety of values; however, they can have a negative impact as well. If teenagers feel pressure from outside influences to take a certain side, they will not stay true to themselves and their values.

Donahue, M. J. & Benson, P. L. (1995). “Religion and the Well-being of Adolescents” in

Educators need to understand the impact of religion on the lives of their students. According to Gallup poll data, nearly 95% of teens believe in God and 86% believe that Jesus Christ is either God or the Son of God (Gallup & Lindsay, 1999 as cited in Ream, 2003). These and other similar statistics demonstrate the importance of considering religion when dealing with young people. Ream

It is well established that adolescence marks a significant period for developmental changes physiologically (Erikson, 1968; Hall, 1904) and spiritually (Good & Willoughby, 2008). Researchers have begun exploring the neural correlates of religious and spiritual development, establishing that there is surge in brain connections and maturation during adolescence resulting in development of abstract thinking skills. At and around the transition to puberty, adolescents are able to perceive and consider multiple perspectives of their beliefs, especially in the light of reasoning, evidence, and rational thinking (Byrnes, 2003). Since this abstract thinking is targeted towards non-concrete ideas and deductive reasoning, concepts of religion and spirituality are subjected to reason as well. Adolescents are better able to test hypothesis related to beliefs such as spirituality, therefore engaging in more spiritual exploration than their younger counterparts (Chapell & Overton, 1998). Despite the unique developmental changes associated with puberty, available empirical evidence of spiritual conversion and commitment is still lacking in longitudinal evidence (Donelson, 1999).

morals, ultimately defining the religion their parents will most likely have them follow. As for

Religion and prayer can benefit students in educational settings by positively contributing to better grades and behavior. Personal faith and prayer are important to people in many walks of life. Some individuals believe that this need for religious stimulation includes the youth in our school systems. There are different reasons why knowledge of religion and prayer can be important to students. For example, if students do not know about diverse faiths, it can be difficult for them to have a well-rounded knowledge and understanding of other cultures. There are oppositional sides to this issue as well. Some people believe that prayer in educational settings could be used as a way to persuade students into believing certain things that they

It is the youth who are encountering the most serious challenge to his/her faith under the impact of godless culture of modernity.