When considering Amber’s case study, many transitions and developments can be seen. Amber is introduced as a 26-year old single mother entering a Student Affairs and Higher Education program at Prescott University. Amber is a full-time employee of the university and has worked there for the past 8 years. She is close to her family and they have made many important life choices for her. She struggled with her lack of independence growing up and currently seems to struggle with her family 's view of differing races and how this affects her views. Recently, Amber has transitioned from a faith in religion and spirituality to agnosticism. Amber’s growth and development can be linked to her transition into motherhood and her community’s perception
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As their youngest child and only girl, Amber’s parents have been attentive and controlling throughout her young adult life often causing her to feel a lack of independence. A large portion of Amber’s spiritual identity was formed by her parents who are Christians that attend a megachurch. In Fowler’s stages of faith, as a child Amber can be identified as Synthetic-Conventional Faith (stage 3). This is because she finds her faith to be meaningful but doesn’t view it critically and requires validation from external sources (Patten et al.,199). This faith is challenged when Amber had a child out of wedlock and she “fell from grace.” Amber did not receive validation and support from her Christian community during this transition and transitioned to Fowler’s fourth stage, Individuative-Reflective Faith. She now had a sense of self-authorship and created her own individual perception of faith. During this stage, she also found her place amongst Smith’s Model of Atheist Identity Development. During her challenge, she “questioned theism” in which she “learned to articulate one’s concerns with theistic beliefs, and using new understandings to challenge religious ideologies,” (Patten et
As their youngest child and only girl, Amber’s parents have been attentive and controlling throughout her young adult life often causing her to feel a lack of independence. A large portion of Amber’s spiritual identity was formed by her parents who are Christians that attend a megachurch. In Fowler’s stages of faith, as a child Amber can be identified as Synthetic-Conventional Faith (stage 3). This is because she finds her faith to be meaningful but doesn’t view it critically and requires validation from external sources (Patten et al.,199). This faith is challenged when Amber had a child out of wedlock and she “fell from grace.” Amber did not receive validation and support from her Christian community during this transition and transitioned to Fowler’s fourth stage, Individuative-Reflective Faith. She now had a sense of self-authorship and created her own individual perception of faith. During this stage, she also found her place amongst Smith’s Model of Atheist Identity Development. During her challenge, she “questioned theism” in which she “learned to articulate one’s concerns with theistic beliefs, and using new understandings to challenge religious ideologies,” (Patten et