Volunteerism in Saudi Arabia - Coursework Example

Volunteerism in Saudi Arabia The problem There is lack of a sense of volunteerism in Saudi Arabia, in the youth who should be helping in the activities of the neighborhood, school activities, care for the sick and the elderly, and other community activities. The youth in the region are busy with demonstrations and other pro-democracy rallies. But this does mean that majority of the Saudi youth do not know volunteerism. As this paper was ongoing, digging data and information from the various online databases and physical library, we found out that there is a dearth of studies on Saudi youth volunteerism. What we found were government sponsored youth involvement which is not purely volunteerism since this activity should first of all come from the private sector or from the youth themselves. Identify the problem The Saudi youth in action for volunteer work to help their poor countrymen have not received required attention from studies on volunteerism leading to the notion that the youth in Saudi Arabia are not motivated to do volunteerism but are occupied with democracy principles. They want to be free from the clutches of tyranny and from oppressive regimes. In short, they are still in the midst of the Arab Spring. Recently however, with the positive response from the Saudi government for reforms and country development, the youth have toned down their rallies. In December 2013, a government-sponsored international conference on “Youth Volunteering and Dialogue” was held to motivate the youth to participate in dialoguing with the various sectors in society including the government, and work for a culture of peace. The importance of the study This study will provide an in-depth study on youth volunteerism Saudi Arabia and will discuss whether there is truth to the statement that the Saudi youth are reluctant to do volunteer work, or they have not discovered the benefits of volunteerism. It seems the youth would like to go to the streets and denounce oppressive regimes instead of having volunteer work to provide care for their poor neighbors, the sick and the elderly. Objectives of the study There is something in this activity that puts the youth and adults to continually do good for neighbors and people they do not know. What motivates people to do something good even without reward or remuneration is one of the noble objectives for this study. The youth of Saudi Arabia may be busy with democracy activities, but volunteerism has many branches. Their involvement in rallies and demonstrations may be to ask the government to reform so that they, the youth, can do other things for their countrymen and that they are in that direction of volunteering for their neighbors. Research questions What motivate the Saudi Arabian youth to do volunteerism? Are the Saudi youth reluctant to do volunteer work? What are the common concepts and definition of volunteerism? What are the theories that support volunteerism? Introduction Volunteerism or volunteering is providing actions with the use of an institutional framework for some service to people or to society in general. A volunteer may give services to religious or organizations like the PTA, youth groups, and other charitable or welfare organizations in the community (Piliavin & Siegl, 2007, p. 454). Volunteerism also means “the willingness of people to work on behalf of others without the expectation of pay or tangible gain” (Snyder & Omoto, 1992 as cited in Jain, Malhotra, & Guan, 2012, p. 1005). Jobs of volunteers can be as rescuers, guides, teachers, missionaries, radio operators, writers, and many others. What motivate people to volunteer for the sick and the elderly or work for the welfare of strangers? Motivation for volunteerism can be explained and understood based on theories of altruism and selflessness, or as a “result of rational or functional choice” (Snyder, Omoto, & Crain, 1999 as cited in Jain et al., 2012, p. 1005). Altruism is a Latin word meaning “for the other,” or caring for the “alter”. Altruism is defined as “a motivational state with the ultimate goal of increasing another’s welfare” (Batson, 1991 as cited in Haski-Leventhal, 2009, p. 271). Some authors reported positive psychological and physical effects of volunteerism. Psychological effects are greater satisfaction in life, psychological well-being and self-esteem (Piliavin & Siegl, 2007, p. 453). Volunteers are generous of their service to others and not of themselves, but actually they are doing something for themselves since volunteerism has positive effects on the one doing it. They are advancing their careers through volunteerism (Ellis, 1993, p. 127). There are other benefits of volunteerism. This paper aims to identify subgroups of Saudi Arabian youth volunteers who share similar patterns of motivations to commit in their activity, and examine how the subgroups were associated with some variables considered common when studying volunteerism, for example, how are these youth related in terms of pro-social personality, satisfaction with the organization and the activity, integration with the organization, length and intention to maintain the commitment, and demographics. In this study, we consider volunteerism as a form of activity that is sustained, planned and dedicated to society and occurs within an organizational setting. According to Clary and colleagues (1998), volunteers provide “human helpfulness” in the way of providing “companionship to the lonely,” teaching the unschooled, inspiring people in distress, caring for the sick, and helping others for an extended period of time. The concept of helping others even if those persons are strangers has always enthralled students and adults (Clary et al., 1998, p. 1516). Volunteering develops the sense of community, and a strong sense of community enhances volunteering (Haski-Leventhal, 2009, p. 279). Objectives and importance People who volunteer have several motives and the strength of their motives determine their personal satisfaction and dedication to the organization they belong as volunteers (Vianen, Nijstad, & Volkuijl, 2008). Volunteerism is seen in several respects and functions for different people. One functional approach of volunteerism is the organizational citizenship behavior in which the individual works for the organization in a manner that exceeds his/her job requirements and contribute to the effective attainment of the organizational goals. The employees’ prosocial values motives are also related with organizational concern motives. Other motives include values, social, learning, and more. The reality of volunteerism in Saudi Arabia A question may be asked on why there is less activity when it comes to volunteerism in Saudi Arabia. It is not because the Saudi youth do not know the term volunteerism but the fact is there are few studies on youth volunteering, including the psychological and social characteristics of this population segment. Most of the research on volunteerism focuses on adult and elderly volunteers. (Marta, Guglielmetti, & Pozzi, 2006) There has been clamor for freedom before and after the Arab Spring, exacerbated by the problem on unemployment in the region which has risen to 26% (Avina, 2013). This is one form of volunteerism for the Saudi youth, although a different form of volunteerism because it is activism for the sake of their country. It also follows our definition of volunteerism which is marked with selflessness, i.e. they sacrifice safety and health in their rallies and demonstrations for the sake of freedom. But there are other forms of volunteerism which seems to be lacking in the Saudi youth. Religion and race are related with the sense of volunteerism. In the American way of life, these two influence their sense of civic involvement. Christian youth volunteer more than youth who have no religion; religiosity influences civic participation in the United States and the western world. But Asian-American Buddhists and other non-Christians like Hindus volunteer less than the non-religious. Factors like gender, education, and income have no effect on volunteerism. (Ecklund & Park, 2007, p. 233) Bendania, Al Dini and Garris (n.d.) used the Voluntary Function Inventory (VFI), an assessment tool to determine the motives of volunteerism in the youth of Saudi Arabia, and found that family and friends influenced the youth’s involvement in volunteering and that the motives of volunteerism were related with values, career development and learning enhancement. The VFI is an inventory of several factors that determines the participants’ motivations for volunteering. The factors include: inefficiency of charitable giving factor, efficiency of charitable giving factor, cynical giving factor, altruistic giving factor, purpose of charity, sense of effectiveness, sociability or generalism, idealism or philosophical commitment, feel good, among others (Clary et al., 1998). Clary and colleagues (1998) discussed the function of volunteerism. One of the functions is the opportunity to be able to express values, such as concern for others. Another function is the chance for learning opportunities wherein volunteers are able to practice their knowledge, skills, and talents which have remained unexpressed talents. Health and mental volunteers can achieve benefits through self-development and enhanced learning. A third function of volunteerism is related to social motivations. There are people who volunteer in order to be with friends or loved ones. Clary et al. (1998) indicated that this function is related to the “social adjustive function” espoused by Smith et al. (1956) which points to the helpfulness behavior of individuals. Career-related benefits may be another function of volunteering which is related to the utilitarian concept; the volunteers attain career development or achieve “career-relevant skills” (Clary et al., 1998, p. 1518). Another function of volunteering is to fulfill the ego needs which center on reducing guilt feelings of “being more fortunate than others”. Frisch and Gerard (1981 as cited in Clary et al., 1998) indicated in their study on the motives of Red Cross volunteers that they did so to erase some negative feelings inside. But there is more to it than ego enhancement, says Clary and colleagues, in that volunteering can be a means of “maintaining or enhancing positive affect” and that volunteers do so for “personal development” (Anderson & Moore, 1978 as cited in Clary et al., 1998, p. 1518). The stage of young adults (between 19 and 45) Adolescence is a transition period when the young are beginning to become adults. This time in a person’s life is a period of many questions that need immediate answers, or a period where an individual experiences storm and stress that are difficult to deal with. The young need guidance, advice and inspiration to go on with life’s inadequacies and turmoil. Parental guidance is a must in this period in life and parents should be able to deal with the adolescent’s behavior. It is also in this time of life that the young wants to have autonomy, although they still cannot cope with problems that crop up every now and then (Harris-McKoy & Cui, 2013, p. 836). Development psychology tells us that egoism and aggression tone down as the child enters adolescence and adulthood, and that altruism is a result of socialization. This means that a child comes from being egoistic. Development psychologists focus their researches on how children who slowly become adults feel moral emotions like guilt and empathy, or how they become law abiding. But other researchers argue that children can be empathic at the same time altruistic (Haski-Leventhal, 2009, p. 275). As human beings, we have the innate characteristic of being egoistic but, in other times, we have the capability to help others at the cost of sacrificing ourselves (Hoffman, 1978 as cited in Haski-Leventhal, p. 275). Altruistic motivation begins in infancy at several phases: “from empathic distress … to sympathic distress” (Haski-Leventhal, 2009, p. 275), in which the child first recognizes that other people are separate physical entities, but does not know that other people have different thoughts and feelings. The child then feels when others are hurt and tries to comfort them so he too can be comforted (Haski-Leventhal, 2009, p. 275). As the child grows, he becomes sympathetic to others. The characteristics of young adulthood In young adults, there is a growing emphasis on the importance of negative social exchanges as a significant source of stress. Researchers have identified negative emotions and neuroticism as potentially increasing the risk of cognitive decline. Negative emotions are associated with low well-being and depressive symptoms with poor performance. Young adults need to associate with positive experiences like socialization with groups that provide meaningful experience (Windsor et al., 2014). Successful cognitive aging is the result of engagement in intellectual, social, and physical stimulating activities. In young adults, there should be a range of activities that include mental stimulation, cognitive training, physical exercise, and social engagement, as these result in “neuroanatomical and behavioral changes that can help to enhance performance, or maintain levels of functioning in the biological process” (Windsor et al., 2014, p. 29). The importance of young adults in society It has been recognized that the young comprise a great portion of the entire population of Saudi Arabia, and by this they have a role to play in the social and economic development of the country. But in general, whether they comprise a big segment of the population, young adults have an important role in society. The young have a role to play in the care of the aging population, the sick and the disabled. Socio-economic development can be enhanced with the young playing a decisive and relevant role. The elderly, first and foremost, need social support which the young can fill the gap. Values must be developed in our young adults Values which impact the youth’s attitudes and behavior include concern for other’s welfare, the desire for responsibility and loyalty, honest relationships with others, and providing help in time of distress (Haski-Leventhal, 2009, p. 282). Interpersonal relationships determine the development of values in young adults. This is also a “key determinant of the well-being of individuals in modern societies” (Feeney and Noller, 1996 as cited in Siu & Shek, 2010, p. 394). Studies have shown that social problem solving and empathy are considered favorable results of child development (Moore et al., 2001 as cited in Siu & Shek, p. 394). Training in social problem solving is needed in programs for promoting the quality of social relationships in young adults (Shure, 1997 as cited in Siu & Shek, p. 394). The youth’s affiliation with community groups or associations plays an important role in developing youth values. Group membership influences behavior because of the group’s norms. Youth behavior coincides with the group’s standard of morality (Terry & Hogg, 1996; White et al., 1994 as cited in Haski-Leventhal, 2009, p. 281). What young adults want to ensure their involvement in volunteerism? Freud (1920 as cited in Haski-Leventhal, 2009) wrote in General Introduction to Psychoanalysis that the young always act for themselves because they love themselves before they are able to love others. This statement tells us that the youth involve themselves in volunteerism because of their perceived altruistic tendencies. They want to care for others as they care for themselves. Children express their love for their parents and relatives because of love for their egos and they need them in fulfilling their basic needs. Previous studies Previous studies on volunteerism focus on the functions and motives of volunteerism. The study of Van Vianen and colleagues (2008) focused on volunteers’ motives, personality fit, and culture fit as these are related with satisfaction, affective commitment, and turnover intention which are aspects of organizational concern motives. The study of Clary and colleagues (1998) demonstrated the effectiveness of the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) in determining volunteerism motivations of participants. References Avina, J. (2013). The evolution of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the Arab Spring. Middle East Journal, 67(1), 77-92. Bendania, A., Al Dini, S., & Garris, C. (n.d.). Motivation for volunteering in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Retrieved from http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.istr.org/resource/resmgr/wp2012/istr_paper_saudi_voluteering.pdf Clary, G., Ridge, R., Stukas, A., Snyder, M., Copeland, J., Haugen, J., & Miene, P. (1998). Understanding and assessing the motivations of volunteers: A functional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(6), 1516-1530. Ecklund, E. & Park, J. (2007). Religious diversity and community volunteerism among Asian Americans. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 46(2), 233-244. Ellis, J. (1993). Volunteerism as an enhancement to career development. Journal of Employment Counseling, 30(1), 127-132. Harris-McKoy, D. & Cui, M. (2013). Parental control, adolescent delinquency, and young adult criminal behavior. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 22, 836-843. doi: 10.1007/s10826-012-9641-x Haski-Leventhal, D. (2009). Altruism and volunteerism: The perceptions of altruism in four disciplines and their impact on the study of volunteerism. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 39(3), 271-299. Jain, A., Malhotra, N., & Guan, C. (2012). Positive and negative affectivity as mediators of volunteerism and service-oriented citizenship behavior and customer loyalty. Psychology and Marketing, 29(12), 1004-1017. doi: 10.1002/mar.20582 Marta, E., Guglielmetti, C., & Pozzi, M. (2006). Volunteerism during young adulthood: An Italian investigation into motivational patterns. Voluntas, 17, 221-232. doi: 10.1007/s11266-006-9015-3 Piliavin, J. (2007). Health benefits of volunteering in the Wisconsin longitudinal study. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 450-464. Siu, A. & Shek, D. (2010). Social problem solving as a predictor of well-being in adolescents and young adults. Social Indic Res, 95, 393-406. doi: 10.1007/s11205-009-9527-5 Van Vianen, A., Nijstad, B., & Voskuijl, O. (2008). A person-environment fit approach to volunteerism: Volunteer personality fit and culture fit as predictors of affective outcomes. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 30, 153-166. doi: 10.1080/01973530802209194 Windsor, T., Pearson, E., Gerstorf, D., Ryan, L., & Anstey, K. (2014). Positive and negative social exchanges and cognitive aging in young-old adults: Differential associations across family, friend, and spouse domains. Psychology and Aging, 29(1), 28-43. doi: 10.1037/a0035256 Read More