Altruism is only part of the story: A longitudinal study of AIDS volunteers.
Item
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Title
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Altruism is only part of the story: A longitudinal study of AIDS volunteers.
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Identifier
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AAI9530858
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identifier
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9530858
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Creator
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Cassel, J. Brian.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Suzanne C. Ouellette
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Date
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1995
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Social | Psychology, Personality | Sociology, Public and Social Welfare
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Abstract
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This study of AIDS volunteers examined participants' reasons for volunteering, how their reasons changed, and the relationship between their reasons and the consequences of volunteering. The three-wave data set was collected from 587 volunteers at Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) in New York City between 1988 and 1991.;Participants completed a scale that measured six different reasons for volunteering. Cluster analysis identified seven distinct patterns of reasons, or types of volunteers. For example, "self-sacrificers" seemed, relative to others, more altruistic in their pattern of reasons for volunteering. In contrast, another group was labeled "getters" because they sought mostly to gain certain experiences and personal growth for themselves through volunteering. The typology was moderately related to participants' demographic characteristics and previous HIV/AIDS experiences.;Several months after they started volunteering, participants again completed the same measure of reasons in terms of why they continued to volunteer. Most participants had a different pattern of reasons. Equal numbers of participants became more altruistic and less altruistic, and an increase in altruism was related to being a gay male volunteer and to more AIDS-related experiences prior to volunteering. Changes in reasons were unrelated to the volunteering experiences measured.;Volunteers' patterns of reasons were not related to their volunteering behavior, including choice of role, but were related to their emotional reactions to the work. For example, the "self-sacrificers" in this study expressed the least amount of burnout, gratification, and personal growth; while behaviorally engaged in the work, they were emotionally disengaged from it relative to other volunteers.;This study breaks new ground for research on altruism: it was prospective and longitudinal, included multiple measures of reasons for volunteering, and was conducted entirely using people engaged in real, long-term helping behavior. Several ways of extending this research are discussed. This study also provides a methodological template for the use of cluster analysis as a tool for defining types of people; implications are drawn from this for further research on personality traits. Finally, practical implications are discussed for AIDS organizations that rely on volunteers.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
