This dissertation is dedicated to the research of individual-psychological and motivational features of personality as factors influencing volunteer activity. The paper includes a theoretical analysis of the state of research in the problem of psychological factors governing volunteer activity, and research approaches to the definition of volunteering. Also included is an analysis of the perspectives of foreign and domestic experts on the imperatives driving volunteer activity, and the attributive characteristics of volunteering activity.
Constructed and substantiated is a conceptual model of volunteer intention, where intent determines the potential for involvement in volunteer activity.
Individual psychological and motivational characteristics underlying volunteerism are established; a model is proposed that focuses on effectiveness of the volunteer’s professional and volunteer work; a model is proposed based on the professional and volunteer work, revealing that the specific attributes of this work are linked to leveraging the subject’s professional background.
It is established that a person has a higher propensity to choose to volunteer when the person has a tendency toward altruism, process, selfishness and freedom, emotional passive response, and extroversion. Lower income is also a factor toward volunteerism. Performance depends on personal factors rather than on objective external factors.
The specifics of gender, and age differential across other motivational and individual-psychological features of volunteer-prone personality are explored. Men who volunteer tend to be motivated in this activity by freedom, money and power. They tend to be characterized by emotional euphoric activity beyond positive incentives, by extroversion, and a desire for attention. Volunteer women tend to be characterized by a motivational orientation toward freedom, and a type of emotional response refractory activity inside to positive incentives. The individual-psychological traits (self-control, volitional qualities, desire for cooperation) and motivational traits (orientation to altruism and freedom) of volunteers are examined.
Personal features of the implementation of professional and non-professional volunteer activity are revealed. Volunteers characterized by the criterion of professionalism tend not to differ substantially. However, volunteers and non-volunteers differ in their desire to dominate, in their focus on collaboration, in self-criticism, in the type of emotional response referred to as euphoric activity outside, and in motivational orientation to process, altruism and work.
The structure of factors is established with regards to volunteer activity. The factor structure of volunteer activity includes such factors as "optimism-openness", "self-centered motivation", "dominance-control", "perseverance in work" and "emotional inclusion". The models of effectiveness is established for evaluating voluntary and professional activity. The effectiveness of volunteer activity depends on emotional dysphoric activity outside and expressiveness. The effectiveness of volunteering depends on personal rather than objective factors.The effectiveness of professional activity depends on responsibility, prudence and expressiveness.
