The Importance of Spiritual Development

Although it may seem that spirituality has little connection to positive youth development, it actually plays a significant role in how your child grows up. Regardless of religious and philosophical beliefs and worldviews, spiritual development is a core developmental process for young people. Children and teens engage in this process in many different ways, and with different emphases—and all are important.

• Through making a connection to the transcendent, young people develop a sense of purpose in their lives, helping them understand that their actions are important and creating a positive sense of personal identity.
• Similarly, spiritual development encourages a positive view of the young person’s personal future. According to Search Institute, youth are more likely to grow up healthy when they are optimistic about their future.
• Young people involved in faith communities are more likely to feel supported, valued, and empowered than those not involved in these communities.
• Youth who place importance on spiritual development are much less likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as tobacco use, illicit drug use, driving under the influence of alcohol, school problems, alcohol abuse, and antisocial behavior.
• Studies show that children and teens who are religiously active are more likely to have eight different indicators of thriving, including getting good grades, resisting danger, maintaining physical health, and leadership.
• It has also been shown that youth who are religiously involved have higher levels of Developmental Assets, the building blocks of successful healthy development. ¹

• For more information on the connection between spirituality and positive youth development, see the Center of Spiritual Development’s Fast Facts page.

Spirituality, no matter how your child experiences it, is important for healthy, positive development. Encourage your child to take part in a faith community or explore different expressions of spirituality to expose her or him to many different facets of spiritual development.