Prosocial Tendencies Development for Late Adolescents in Volunteering Projects

Motto: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others – Mahatma Gandhi

Volunteering as a sustained prosocial activity is considered a noble act that one can achieve in order for the prosocial behaviour to improve. It is at the base of a good character a person can form. It also emphasises altruism, empathy, sympathy, pride, altruistic values. Prosocial moral reasoning leads to a constant attachment to the act of volunteerism the society is in such a dire need of. The history of volunteering focuses on YMCA organisations in the USA and other European countries that led to a continuous growth of this prosocial behaviour so much needed in the current turbulent society. Although always present, the volunteering act simply calls more and more people to get involved in the altruistic approach to societal problems. When dealing with volunteering work, people witness a sense of accomplishment rendered by the constant interaction with other people. In the present paper, a sense of awareness is provided on the communication methods (nonverbal, metacommunication, language) one would need to be aware of the interactions with people. Our research is based on using qualitative method, focusing on volunteering perceptions of their roles, responsibilities, the drivers for becoming a volunteer and the skills achieved. We focus solely on the qualitative data and observation. The results led to identifying 3 thematic main categories with regards to the volunteering act. Our eighteen interviews provide an insight on the drive they have when practicing volunteerism, personal, social and professional benefits as well.


Keywords: volunteering, prosocial behaviour, research, young adults, altruism