TY - JOUR
T1 - Considerations of community
T2 - The context and process of volunteerism
AU - Omoto, Allen M.
AU - Snyder, Mark
PY - 2002/1/1
Y1 - 2002/1/1
N2 - In this article, the authors examine the role of community in understanding volunteerism. First, the authors present a model of the volunteer process that identifies three stages (antecedents, experiences, consequences) and three levels of analysis (individual, organization, social system). Next, the authors propose two features of community - community as context for volunteerism and psychological sense of community- and articulate the implications of these features for the processes of volunteerism. Then, empirical evidence from studies of AIDS volunteers and their clients is reviewed that suggests (a) how communities and psychological sense of community encourage people to volunteer and connect with others and (b) how connecting to communities appears to be beneficial for the functioning of people living with HIV. Finally, the authors argue that explicit considerations of community can also contribute to understanding other forms of individual and collective action as well as broader civic and societal participation.
AB - In this article, the authors examine the role of community in understanding volunteerism. First, the authors present a model of the volunteer process that identifies three stages (antecedents, experiences, consequences) and three levels of analysis (individual, organization, social system). Next, the authors propose two features of community - community as context for volunteerism and psychological sense of community- and articulate the implications of these features for the processes of volunteerism. Then, empirical evidence from studies of AIDS volunteers and their clients is reviewed that suggests (a) how communities and psychological sense of community encourage people to volunteer and connect with others and (b) how connecting to communities appears to be beneficial for the functioning of people living with HIV. Finally, the authors argue that explicit considerations of community can also contribute to understanding other forms of individual and collective action as well as broader civic and societal participation.
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U2 - 10.1177/0002764202045005007
DO - 10.1177/0002764202045005007
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:0013423732
SN - 0002-7642
VL - 45
SP - 846-867+762
JO - American Behavioral Scientist
JF - American Behavioral Scientist
IS - 5
ER -