ABSTRACT
In reviewing their stories, I found that volunteers commonly discussed the
conflicts they experienced between volunteering and mainstream expectations
that they work to earn money and care for their families. In their narratives,
volunteers also justified past decisions, articulated their sense of self within
society, reflected on opportunities lost, and considered the personal priorities that
would guide their future decisions. I suggest that the stories of their struggles can
be thought of as a site through which people negotiated competing social
priorities.
