Psychological Characteristics of Volunteers of Different Types of Activity

592

Abstract

Objective. To study the relationship between the psychological characteristics of volunteers and the type of volunteer activity (helping people or homeless animals). Background. The normalization of the practice of volunteerism, the growth of the involvement of individuals in such activities require a thorough understanding of this phenomenon in order to better recruit and retain volunteers. On a number of characteristics of volunteers, the data are contradictory, volunteers with homeless animals were little studied, and there are few works devoted to comparing the types of volunteers. Study design. Groups of volunteers helping people or animals were compared based on activity motives, empathy, feelings of loneliness, and life satisfaction. Descriptive statistics, analysis of differences, contingency table were utilized. Participants. Volunteers working with people (n=71), average age 33.95 years (SD=11.23); of them 83.1% are women and 16.9% are men. Volunteers with stray animals (n=71), mean age 39.7 years (SD=9.05); of them 92.95% are women, 7.05% are men. Measurements. Russian-language versions of The Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (Mehrabi¬an, Epstein), UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Peplau, Ferguson), and The Satisfaction With Life Scale. To study motives, the author’s form is used, compiled according to the theory of motives by E.G. Clary. Results. Volunteers from both groups did not differ in characteristics: average level of emotional empathy, normal level of life satisfaction, low level of loneliness. Volunteers helping people are predomi¬nantly poly-motivated, while volunteers with animals are mono-motivated. Among volunteers with ani¬mals, individuals with the altruistic orientation prevail, among volunteers helping people — individuals who combine altruistic and egoistic orientations. Conclusions. Volunteers with animals are motivated altruistically, the motivation of volunteers helping people is variable and includes an egoistic component.

General Information

Keywords: volunteerism, volunteerism with animals, helping people, helping homeless animals, motivation, empathy, life satisfaction, loneliness

Journal rubric: Empirical Research

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2021120313

Funding. The study has been executed as part of a state assignment No. 0159-2019-0002 “Psychology of the collective subject in the changing conditions of life activity”.

For citation: Vorobieva A.E., Skipor S.I. Psychological Characteristics of Volunteers of Different Types of Activity . Sotsial'naya psikhologiya i obshchestvo = Social Psychology and Society, 2021. Vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 205–218. DOI: 10.17759/sps.2021120313. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

References

  1. Azarova E.S., Yanitskii M.S. Psikhologicheskie determinanty dobrovol’cheskoi deyatel’nosti [Psychological determinants of volunteerism]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta = Bulletin of the Tomsk State University, 2008, no. 306, pp. 120—125. (In Russ.).
  2. Borovik M.A., Mikhel’ D.V. Dvizheniya po zashchite zhivotnykh: istoriya, politika, praktika [Movement for the Protection of Animals: History, Politics, Practice]. Zhurnal issledovanii sotsial’noi politiki = The Journal of Social Policy Studies, 2011. Vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 227—252. (In Russ.).
  3. Vorob’eva A.E., Skipor S.I. Sravnitel’nyi analiz kharakteristik deyatel’nosti zoovolonterov i volonterov, pomogayushchikh lyudyam [Comparative analysis of the characteristics of the activities of volunteers with animals and volunteers helping people]. Chelovecheskii kapital = Human capital, 2020, no. 9(141), pp. 253—263. DOI:10.25629/HC.2020.09.23 (In Russ.).
  4. Gorbuleva M.S., Melik-Gaikazyan I.V., Melik-Gaikazyan M.V. Pochemu rossiiskie zashchitniki zhivotnykh takie i tak deistvuyut? [Why Russian animal protectors are as they are and why do they act they dо?]. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya = Sociological Studies, 2016. Vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 157—158. (In Russ.).
  5. Kudrinskaya L.A. Dobrovol’cheskii trud: sushchnost’, funktsii, spetsifika [Volunteer labor: essence, functions, specificity]. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya = Sociological Studies, 2006, no. 5, pp. 15—22. (In Russ.).
  6. Kuz’minchuk A.A., Pevnaya M.B., Timirshina E.R. Napravleniya molodezhnogo dobrovol’chestva: spetsifika i perspektivy razvitiya [Types of youth voluntaring: specificity and prospects of development]. Vestnik Surgutskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta = Bulletin of Surgut State Pedagogical University, 2018, no. 2(53), pp. 68—77. (In Russ.).
  7. Kupreichenko A.B. Problema izucheniya motivov i psikhologicheskikh bar’erov volonterskoi aktivnosti molodezhi [The problem of studying the motives and psychological barriers of youth volunteer activity]. In Kaptsov A.V. (eds.). Professional’noe i lichnostnoe samoopredelenie molodezhi v sovremennoi Rossii. [Professional and personal self-determination of youth in modern Russia]. Samara: SamLuxPrint, 2013, pp. 143—150. (In Russ.).
  8. Levchenko N.V. Rossiiskie zoozashchitniki: kto oni i kak deistvuyut? [Russian zoodefenders: who are they and how do they act?]. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya = Sociological Studies, 2015, no. 2, pp. 149—153. (In Russ.).
  9. Matsyuk T.B. Lichnostnoe razvitie studentov vuza v usloviyakh volonterskoi deyatel’nosti [Personal development of university students in terms of volunteering]. Vestnik TvGU. Seriya Pedagogika i psikhologiya = Bulletin of the Tver State University. Series “Pedagogy and Psychology”, 2018, no. 4, pp. 84—94. (In Russ.).
  10. Nikitina K.N. Osobennosti motivatsii deyatel’nosti volonterov i sotrudnikov OGKU «TsPN» (na primere g. Irkutska) [Features of motivating the activities of volunteers and employees of OGKU “CPN” (on the example of the city of Irkutsk)]. Vserossiiskii zhurnal nauchnykh publikatsii = All-Russian journal of scientific publications, 2013, no. 5, pp. 54. (In Russ.).
  11. Ovrutskaya G.K., Demicheva L.P. Volontery o volonterstve: po rezul’tatam issledovaniya [Volunteers on Volunteering: Based on Research Results]. Nauchnye tendentsii: Pedagogika i psikhologiya = Conference: Scientific Trends: pedagogy and psychology, 2019, pp. 11—14. (In Russ.).
  12. Osin E.N., Leont’ev D.A. Aprobatsiya russkoyazychnykh versii dvukh shkal ekspress-otsenki sub”ektivnogo blagopoluchiya [Development of the Russian versions of two scales for express assessment of subjective well-being]. Materialy III Vserossiiskogo sotsiologicheskogo kongressa (g. Moskva, 21—24 oktyabrya, 2008 g.) [Proceedings of the Third All-Russian Sociological Congress]. Moscow: Institut sotsiologii RAN, Rossiiskoe obshchestvo sotsiologov, 2008, pp. 171—173. (In Russ.).
  13. Polutin S.V., Samoilova E.A. Sotsiologicheskii portret rossiiskogo zoozashchitnogo dvizheniya [Sociological portrait of the Russian animal protection movement]. Regionologiya = Regionology, 2020. Vol. 28, no. 1(110), pp. 184—199. DOI:10.15507/2413-1407.110.028.202001(In Russ.).
  14. Rodina O.N., Prudkov P.N. Osobennosti proyavleniya al’truizma u zoozashchitnikov, vospitatelei sirot-invalidov i volonterov [Peculiarities of the manifestation of altruism among zoo protectors, orphans of invalids and volunteers]. Materialy V nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii “Lichnostnyi resurs sub”ekta truda v izmenyayushcheisya Rossii” (g. Pyatigorsk, 05—07 oktyabrya 2018 g.) [Proceedings of the Fifth Scientific and Practical Conference “The personal resource of the subject of labor in the changing Russia]. Ivanovo: Publ. “Nauchnyi mir, 2018. Vol. 2, pp. 204—211. (In Russ.).
  15. Sklyarenko Yu.A. Sotsial’naya aktivnost’ molodezhi v volonterskikh organizatsiyakh goroda Permi [Social activity of youth in volunteer organizations of the city of Perm]. Master’s Journal, 2015, no. 2, pp. 277—282. (In Russ.).
  16. Soldatova G.U., Shagerova L.A., Prokof’eva T.Yu., Kravtsova O.A. Psikhodiagnostika tolerantnosti lichnosti [Psychodiagnostics of personality tolerance]. Moscow: Smysl, 2008. 172 p. (In Russ.).
  17. Stegnii V.N., Nikonov M.V. Motivatsiya volonterskoi deyatel’nosti [Motivation for volunteering]. Vestnik Permskogo natsional’nogo issledovatel’skogo politekhnicheskogo universiteta. Sotsial’no-ekonomicheskie nauki = Bulletin of the Perm National Research Polytechnic University. Socio-economic sciences, 2018, no. 1, pp. 146—156. DOI:10.15593/2224-9354/2018.1.14 (In Russ.).
  18. Sukhar’kova M.P. Podkhody k izucheniyu motivatsii uchastiya v praktikakh volonterstva [Approaches to the study of motivation for participation in volunteering practices]. Teoriya i praktika obshchestvennogo razvitiya = Theory and practice of social development, 2017, no. 9, pp. 12— 16. (In Russ.).
  19. Sushko N.G., Serga E.D. Osobennosti motivatsii volonterskoi deyatel’nosti [Features of motivation for volunteer activities]. Uchenye zametki TOGU = Scientists notes PNU, 2017. Vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 363—368. (In Russ.).
  20. Fetiskin N.P., Kozlov V.V., Manuilov G.M. Sotsial’no-psikhologicheskaya diagnostika razvitiya lichnosti i malykh grupp [Socio-psychological diagnostics of the development of personality and small groups]. Moscow, 2002. 490 p. (In Russ.).
  21. Brown K.M., Hoye R., Nicholson M. Self-esteem, self-efficacy, and social connectedness as mediators of the relationship between volunteering and well-being. Journal of Social Service Research, 2012. Vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 468—483. DOI:10.1080/01488376.2012.687706
  22. Clary E.G., Snyder M. The Motivations to Volunteer: Theoretical and Practical Considerations. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 1999. Vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 156—159. DOI:10.1111/1467- 8721.00037
  23. Finkelstein M.A., Penner L.A., Brannick M.T. Motive, role identity, and prosocial personality as predictors of volunteer activity. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 2005. Vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 403—418. DOI:10.2224/sbp.2005.33.4.403
  24. Kumar S., Calvo R., Avendanobde M., Sivaramakrishnan K., Berkmanb L.F. Social support, volunteering and health around the world: Cross-national evidence from 139 countries. Social science & medicine, 2012. Vol. 74, no. 5, pp. 696—706. DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.11.017
  25. Neumann S.L. Animal welfare volunteers: who are they and why do they do what they do? Anthrozoös, 2010. Vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 351—364. DOI:10.2752/175303710X12750451259372
  26. Nikolskaya A.V., Kostrigin A.A., Thurmer A. A comparative analysis of the personality traits and motivations for activities on the part of volunteers helping people and those assisting homeless animals. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 2020. Vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 667—679. DO I:10.1080/10911359.2019.1647482
  27. Sundström M., Blomqvist K., Edberg A.K. Being a volunteer encountering older people’s loneliness and existential loneliness: alleviating loneliness for others and oneself. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 2020. DOI:10.1111/scs.12869
  28. Thoits P.A., Hewitt L.N. Volunteer Work and Well-Being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 2001. Vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 115—131. DOI:10.2307/3090173

 

Information About the Authors

Anastasia E. Vorobieva, PhD in Psychology, senior researcher, Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1080-0816, e-mail: aeVorobieva@yandex.ru

Sofiia I. Skipor, B.S. in Psychology, Moscow University for the Humanities, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2252-0296, e-mail: skipor.sofia@gmail.com

Metrics

Views

Total: 1239
Previous month: 59
Current month: 45

Downloads

Total: 592
Previous month: 49
Current month: 24