From “I” to “We”: Different forms of identity, emotion, and belief predict victim support volunteerism among nominal and active supporters

Thomas, E.F., Rathmann, L. and McGarty, C. (2017) From “I” to “We”: Different forms of identity, emotion, and belief predict victim support volunteerism among nominal and active supporters. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 47 (4). pp. 213-223.

Abstract

Understanding how to attract and maintain volunteers is crucial for the operation of victim support organizations. We propose that volunteerism can be understood in a similar way as collective action. Active (N=99) and nominal supporters (N=134) completed measures of identities (personal, social, and organizational), emotions (sympathy, outrage, and pride), and efficacy beliefs (self-, group, and organizational). The results revealed a different pattern of predictors of volunteerism for the two samples. Among nominal supporters, commitment to volunteerism was predicted by personal identity (I), sympathy, and self-efficacy; among the actively engaged, volunteerism was predicted by social identity (we), outrage, and self-efficacy. These results suggest that engagement with volunteerism is associated with qualitatively different processes for those nominally versus actively supportive of volunteer efforts.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Psychology and Exercise Science
Publisher:	Wiley
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/36475

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