The Fragile Threads of Volunteerism: Impact of Socialization, Identification, and Socialsupport on Volunteer Commitment

Kedrowicz explores the communicative accomplishmentof social support in a volunteer organization. Specifically,she uncovers how meanings of support are negotiated throughinteractions between organization members during everyday encounters. To emphasize the socially constructed andcontextually embedded nature of support, Kedrowicz sought to understand theways in which support is constructed through talk, as well asorganization members' retrospective sense making processes. Aconcurrent examination of socialization, identification, andsocial support points to the relational nature of support, the roleof socialization in the development of support expectations, and supportas a means through which identifications develop. In short, this work problematizes understandings ofsupport, socialization, and identification. Specifically, theemergence of the embedded nature of support as related to motivationsto volunteer, socialization experiences, realities of support, andfeelings of identification have paved the way for futureinvestigations of support as a relational construct.