Self-Enhancement and Helping Behavior: Motivations of Volunteers in Registration and Reception Centers for Refugees in Bulgaria

Abstract

Helping behavior can be triggered by complex motivators, a number of them self-related. Investigation of this issue can foster a better understanding of such current social phenomena as volunteerism within the context of intensive migration in Europe. The research presented here focuses on individuals who applied for volunteer positions in the Registration and Reception Centers for Refugees in Bulgaria. Document analysis was conducted concerning 128 applications for participation in an ongoing volunteer project during the period 2013-2016. The explicit motivations of candidates indicate that groups of motives related to self-enhancement are among the key triggers for volunteers. These include a desire to foster social change and the effort to develop a positive self-image, both of which are associated with the role of volunteer.