“Rhetoric” of the Help-Giving Theory in the Service of the Italian Civil Protection Volunteers

Abstract

The following article discusses theoretical considerations problematizing issues related to “help-giving” or the “gift of sacrifice”, and presents the service of volunteers of the Nation-al Service of Civil Protection in Italy. The authors of the paper support the thesis that (pro)social behaviors are a special type of structures fixing interpersonal relations. What’s more, they contribute to strengthening social capital in the situation of all kinds of threats. Verifying the thesis, the authors refer to the most important terms creating the meaning re-pertoire of the most adequate theoretical concepts. Although the significance of the gift theory is emphasized rarely in the field of social sciences, these concepts are not only ex-tremely interesting cognitively, but also their explanatory value enriches our view of social reality. M. Mauss’s theory of transactions or exchange of gifts serves as a background for reflection on the service of volunteers of the Italian Civil Protection. The “gift of help” of volunteers for the communities affected by the threats of the forces of nature becomes an important driving force for rebuilding the social structure.