Rewards and Impacts of Participation in a Gerontology Extension Program

Abstract

Because involvement in specific organizations typically is part of a general pattern of social participation, understanding the effects of activity in a particular realm is difficult. A 1985 program designed to make the skills of retired professionals available to public service agencies provided an opportunity to follow volunteers during various stages of their participation. It also permitted an assessment of the impact of their volunteer work in this program on changes in their morale, self-esteem, and alienation as well as the extent of their participation in other voluntary activities. It was predicted that the effects of voluntary action would vary according to the participants' reasons for volunteering, their perceptions of their success in serving the agencies, and the number of opportunities they had for demonstrating their competencies. Analysis suggested that participants responded positively but not dramatically to opportunities for meaningful social participation.