The Psychological and Spiritual Dimension of Volunteering

Abstract

Volunteering is one of the oldest human social cooperation activities. Whether it is called volunteering, whether it is called charity, whether it is in the form of social involvement and active participation in the public agenda, whether it is a small-scale or extremely large-scale activity, in niche fields or in traditional fields, organized on the basis of state-sponsored programs or non-governmental institutions, over time, volunteering has represented a clear manifestation of social cohesion. This form of social cohesion can come from a psychological need that some individuals satisfy by volunteering, or from a desire for personal development, or from adherence to certain religious precepts, but regardless of the motivation, the social utility and social responsibility of volunteering have been demonstrated over time. This paper aims to analyze the psychological and religious dimension of volunteering, from the perspective of its social utility and the responsibility that volunteering involves.