1) Imaginative faith (birth - 7 years)
- Positive images are healthy
- Negative or fearful images unhealthy
 
2) Literal faith (7 years - early teens)
- faith story believed as literally or historically true
- God viewed as rewarding and punishing behaviour
- Bargaining stage (e.g. I will pray seven Hail Marys if you let me pass this exam)
 
3) Group faith (late teens - early 20's)
- Group exerts strong influence
- Conformity to values and expectations of the group
- Limited questioning of group views
- Can discourage personal responsibility
 
4) Personal faith (mid 20's and older)
- Personal responsibility accepted for beliefs
- Likely a time of tension with friends, family and Church leaders while searching for truth
- Answers not always clear-cut (lots of gray areas)
 
5) Mystical faith (age no longer a factor)
- Communion with God
- Awareness of God's inner presence
- Recognition of community of all people
- Challenge and improve structure
- Belief that "God is with me at all times therefore life is intrinsically holy by nature"
 
6) Sacrificial faith
- Identification with truth and justice
- Radical commitment with no regard for personal status or security
- Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Teresa
- Not many reached this stage but there may be traces of it in us, i.e. parental attitudes