PATHFINDER STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT LESTER LORENSON

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Concrete Thinking  Inferential Logic

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Concrete Thinking  Opportunity:  Hands on training  Literal skills  Danger:  Manipulating deductive logic  Emphasizing deep lessons

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Industry vs. Inferiority  Can I be good?  Can I do well?

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Industry vs. Inferiority  Opportunity:  Show students they can do well in this group.  Provide alternate ways to succeed.  Danger:  This may be the last straw of failure.  Arrogance in those who always succeed.

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Justice level  Might be stuck on punishment defines bad.  Might still be in reward defines good.

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Justice level  Ideally should be ending conformity stage.  Defines good by obeying rules.

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Justice level  May be moving to stage of realizing social order is the reason for rules.

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Justice level  Opportunity:  Show concrete examples of how to apply more advanced justice.  Show that fair does NOT mean equal treatment.  Chance to see how Bible talks to punishment, reward, conformity, and social contracts.  Danger:  Give in to their level of justice.  Allow regression  Allow someone to be defined as the ‘bad child.”

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Girls:  Many will be in puberty.  Tired in the morning  More about social interactions  Seeing interactions with boys as social situations  Moving toward focus on peers

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Opportunity:  Teach social kindness  Help them define appropriate power in relationships  Make units stronger  Danger  Girls manipulate the boys  Girls left out  Group too independent

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Boys:  Most probably not in puberty.  Physical interactions paramount  Focus on family and authorities  Sees interactions with girls as physical or “game playing”

10 – 11 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Opportunity:  Establish yourself as the authority  Teach them group work  Danger:  Too much language-based learning  Too much sitting  Too many complex social expectations

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Abstract Thinking Begins  Inferential logic  Deductive logic  Complex thoughts

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Opportunity  New thoughts on familiar Bible stories  Give chances to “play with ideas”  Many more things that can be thought through  Increase their chances to think for themselves instead of reflect others Danger  Engage in debates that shake their faith  Emphasis on arguing instead of doing  Expecting too much too soon

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Identity vs. Confusion  Who am I?

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Identity vs. Confusion  Opportunity:  Define their own core beliefs  Find their niche in their ministry  Provide group support for excellent thoughts  Danger:  Lost to cynicism  Intellectual arrogance vs. experienced adults  Guilty feelings about doubts

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Justice level  Some still define good by authority.  Most now define good by social contract.

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Justice level  Opportunity:  Show them how God’s deals inform social contracts.  Provide opportunities to show how laws should be based on God’s plan.  Danger:  Right based on current social norms  Allow an adult to be the absolute authority  May stop believing because of injustice in the church

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Justice level  Opportunity:  Show them how God’s deals inform social contracts.  Provide opportunities to show how laws should be based on God’s plan.  Danger:  Right based on current social norms  Allow an adult to be the absolute authority  May stop believing because of injustice in the church

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Girls:  Many will be in at stage 3 or 4 in puberty.  Attracted to and attractive to older boys  Growing fast: often diet  Often physically dominant over many boys

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Opportunity:  Define equal relationships with peer boys  Learn to appreciate becoming a woman  Danger  Dieting: too strong emphasis on body image  Inappropriate relationships with older boys  Ostracizing of girls who are developmentally delayed

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Boys:  Most will be in puberty  Embarrassed with new feelings  Growing fast  Tired in morning  Need to test their new strength  Trying to find ways to interact with girls socially  Shift emphasis toward the group

12 – 13 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Opportunity:  Develop lifelong fitness habits  Control impulses toward girls  Group challenges  Danger  Too strong emphasis on sports  Inappropriate treatment of girls  Strong guilt toward feelings and experimentation

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Abstract Thinking Advances  Complex thoughts  Integrating spiritual values  Troubled by cognitive dissonance  Love new thinking challenges

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Abstract Thinking Advances  Opportunity:  Develop Christian apologetics  Create personal testimony  Analyze challenges to their faith  Danger  Attraction to countercultural utopian ideals  Too much emphasis on abstract ideas instead of how to implement them  Problems in the church can really hurt their faith

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Continue Search for Identity vs. Confusion  Who am I?

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Continue Search for Identity vs. Confusion  Opportunity:  Refine reasons for their beliefs  Witness powerfully  Lead many parts of church  Danger:  Lost to utopian visions  Argue well instead of witness  Terrible confusion when they see hippocrisy in the church

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Continue Search for Identity vs. Confusion  Opportunity:  Refine reasons for their beliefs  Witness powerfully  Lead many parts of church  Danger:  Lost to utopian visions  Argue well instead of witness  Terrible confusion when they see hypocrisy in the church

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Justice level  Most now define good by social contract.  Some now begin seeing universal ethical principles.

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Justice level  Opportunity:  Show the universal principles taught by Jesus  Encourage them to move to the next level of understanding  Reduce impact of legalism  Danger:  Some in church may not be wiling to engage in conversations about principles instead of rules.  This may result in some real anxiety when principles collide.

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Girls:  Many have virtually completed puberty.

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Opportunity:  Encourage girls to use their maturity to lead the younger girls  Create ideals for womanhood  Danger  May lead toward the wrong priorities  Many temptations sexually

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Boys:  Most will be well into puberty  Gaining some control of hormones  Many have deep-seated anger as testosterone increases  Continue to grow very fast  Interactions with girls important  Many values based on peer group  Getting much stronger  Need to succeed

14 – 15 YEARS OLD Physical Development  Opportunity:  Compete with honour  Use physical abilities to influence for Christ  Work with girls to create a strong club  Work hard to succeed  Danger  Anger issues  Leave Pathfinders because of peer pressure