Psychology of volunteering

Volunteering (from Latin voluntarius) refers to conscious, willing acceptance of a job that one is not paid for. Volunteers do not get money for their work, but it does not mean they work for free. Their gratification is feeling good, needed, serving their altruistic needs, boosting their selfesteem. If one expects or demands thanks for the work done, at the same time behaving in a pitying or patronizing way, it contradicts the idea of volunteering. Conscious volunteering thus implies substantial self-awareness, acknowledging one’s positive sides as well as limitations. Communication skills and competence are also indispensable; in this article, they are presented from the perspective of Eric Berne’s transactional analysis and Schulz von Thun’s conception of communication.