Hendricks, Jon (author), Hougland, James G., Jr. (author), Turner, Howard B. (author), and Department of Sociology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1988-07
Published:
USA: Medford, MA : Association of Voluntary Action Scholars.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 86 Document Number: C05586
AGRICOLA IND 89051563, The research presented in this article examined life satisfaction and volunteer activity satisfaction in retired professionals who volunteered. The authors looked at four areas: 1) how life satisfaction and volunteer action changes as volunteers' self perceived effectiveness and opportunities for formal demonstration of competencies increases; 2) how satisfaction with the activity changes as volunteers' self-perceived effectiveness and opportunities for formal demonstration of competencies increases; 3) how life satisfaction and voluntary action change as satisfaction with the specific activity increases; and 4) how the reasons for participation affect the first three relationships. This article reports the findings from two questionnaires given to 39 volunteers at the beginning and end of a six month project. The scales used measured: self-esteem, morale, reactions to the project, social alienation, voluntary action, reasons for volunteering, and motivation. The authors found that these volunteers' perceived effectiveness was associated with increased program satisfaction, and that reasons for involvement create variation in implications for voluntary action.
