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Goals and Personal Resources that Contribute to the Development and Agency Attachment of Older Adult Volunteers*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2011

Alayna A. Gillespie ,
Benjamin H. Gottlieb  and
Scott B. Maitland
Alayna A. Gillespie
Affiliation:
University of Guelph
Benjamin H. Gottlieb*
Affiliation:
University of Guelph
Scott B. Maitland
Affiliation:
University of Guelph
*
†Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Benjamin H. Gottlieb, Ph.D. Psychology Department, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 (bgottlie@uoguelph.ca)
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Abstract

We examined the volunteer service contribution of older adults (N = 100) to volunteer role development and agency attachment. Informed by a developmental regulation framework and socio-emotional selectivity theory, we tested a twofold hypothesis for the premise that greater role development and agency attachment would be experienced by (1) older adults who had multiple goals for volunteering, and (2) older adults who pursued these goals by making greater use of their social resources relative to their physical and cognitive resources. Both hypotheses were supported. Older adults who have numerous motives for volunteering, and who maximize the use of their social skills and prosocial attitudes, are more strongly attached to their host agency and experience higher levels of volunteer role development. Implications for the field of volunteerism are discussed.

Résumé

Nous avons examiné la contribution bénévolat (N = 100) pour développer le rôle bénévolat et l’attachement aux agences des personnes âgées. Informé par un cadre intégrant la réglementation du développement et la théorie de la selectivité socio-affective, nous avons testé une double hypothèse pour la prémisse que le développement de plus grand rôle et l’attachement à l’agence serait vécue par (1) les personnes âgées qui avaient des objectifs multiples pour le bénévolat, et (2) les personnes âgées qui ont poursuivi ces objectifs en faisant une plus grande utilisation de leurs ressources sociales par rapport à leur physique et leurs ressources cognitives. Les deux hypothèses ont été corroborées. Les personnes âgées qui ont des motifs nombreux pour le bénévolat, et qui maximisent l’utilisation de leurs compétences et de leurs comportements sociales, sont plus fortement attachées à leur organisme d’acceuil et atteindre des niveaux plus élevés de développement du rôle bénévole. Les implications pour le domaine du volontariat sont discutées.

Keywords

sélectionoptimisationsélectivité socio-affectiverégulation du développementbénévolatpersonnes âgéesselectionoptimizationsocio-emotional selectivitydevelopmental regulationvolunteeringolder adults
Type
Regular Articles / Articles réguliers
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , March 2011 , pp. 101 - 111
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2011

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Footnotes

*

Our sincere thanks to the managers of volunteers and the volunteer participants from Caledonia Senior Support Services, Community Care Durham, Orillia Helping Hands, Services to Assist Independent Living, Knollcrest Lodge, Town and Country Support Services, Victorian Order of Nurses Hamilton, and Community Care Peterborough for their participation in this research. We are also indebted to our community partner, the Ontario Community Support Association, for its generous collaboration in this study. Funding for this research was provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, grant 410-2005-0694.

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