VOLUNTEERING AS A STIMULATOR OF THE IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT IN EMERGING ADULTHOOD

Period between 18 and 29 years of age, i.e. between adolescence and adulthood is defined by J. J. Arnett (2002) as a period of emerging adulthood. The young are no longer teenagers, but also mostly do not perceive themselves as adults. At this time, there is an intensive development of the identity of the young. It manifests itself in the area of worldview, social relations and work. The last of these areas of activity allows young person to test skills, discover new abilities and take responsibility for oneself and others, which gives the basis for formulating answers to the questions: Who am I, what is the meaning of my life, and therefore identity issues. The identity is characterized along with M. Berzonski (1989), who describes identity both in terms of structure (created by cognitive schemes), as well as the process of cognitive resources application in solving life problems. Processual notion of identity is strictly connected with identity style, which is defined as cognitive strategies and processes, used by the person to: make decisions, processing information compliant with self and shape the identity commitment (Berzonsky, Ferrari, 1996, Berzonsky 2003). Three styles of identity building were distinguished: informational, normative and diffusion-avoiding. Informative style, in comparison to the others, provides the subject with the best adaptation and further development. The aim of the presented study is to check the role that engagement of young people in voluntary work plays in the process of identity building. 76 people aged from 21 to 25 were examined, 36 of whom were involved in volunteering and the remaining 40 were not active. Identity Style Inventory ISI3 by M. Berzonsky was applied to the whole group. In accordance with the theory, the Identity Style Inventory consists of three scales corresponding to identity styles and one additional scale of 'Commitment'. A comparison of both groups in terms of the level of individual identity styles indicates a significantly higher level of informational identity style in volunteers. So, people who work selflessly in various support institutions build their own identity actively seeking knowledge about themselves. They are open to various information about themselves, even those that undermine their previous self-image. Similarly, volunteers revealed a significantly higher 'Commitment' score. This means that people who have undertaken a specific voluntary activity experience a sense and purpose of their actions stronger than their peers and have a stronger motivation to achieve their goals. In addition, the level of informational style increased when people involved were engaged in volunteering during more than one year. The results obtained show that involvement in volunteering can stimulate the development of identities of young people entering adulthood. And, consequently, in the process of education in the period of emerging adulthood opportunities for volunteer work should be created.