Identity and Volunteering Intertwined: Reflections on the Values of Young Adults

Volunteering motivation has been studied from many perspectives during the last few decades. These studies have increased
our understanding on the individual, dynamic, and reflexive nature of volunteering. Moreover, research that combines volunteering
with the concept of identity or role identity has deepened this understanding. Nevertheless, the ways individual volunteers
experience and associate volunteering with their personal identities has been little studied. Values can provide an empirical
window into the core of personal identity. Identity, values, and volunteering are combined in the approach used in this study,
which introduces the theoretical viewpoints of narrative identity and value identity. The analyses of 24 life course interviews
demonstrated volunteering can be used in identity work for expressing the core values of individuals. The results also indicate
the variety and range of values, which can be associated with volunteering.