ABSTRACT
SUMMARY. Across three different samples of young adults, volunteer motives were unrelated to social desirability but volunteer motives of values with understanding, and esteem with protection, were positively related. In one study, college students enrolled in an education course requiring volunteerism at a community day care center were compared to students who fully volunteered their time at this site. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of self-reported volunteerism motives or desire for control. The second study involved college honor students who volunteered at a number of community sites as a part of a leadership program. These students reported greater satisfaction than stress over a 12-week period from their service, and there was no significant change in their volunteerism motives over time.
