The Development of Prayer in the Light of Czesław Walesa’s Cognitive Developmental Theory of Religiosity and Marcelina Darowska’s Concept of Religious Education

Abstract

The aim of this study was to find an answer to the question of how prayer develops in children, adolescents and young adults and which psycho-pedagogical factors are conducive to its development. Czesław Walesa’s cognitive developmental psychological theory of the integral development of religiosity and Marcelina Darowska’s concept of religious education served as the theoretical basis of the proposed analyses. The authors showed changes in the development of prayer and expanded upon them in terms of pedagogical and religious aspects. It is proposed that pedagogical interventions aimed at the development of prayer should focus on supporting independence and responsibility in children, adolescents and young adults. In educational work, one should be aware of the close relationship between the psycho-social conditions of human functioning and the development of prayer.