TY - JOUR
T1 - Have i ever done anything like this before? Older adults solving Ill-defined problems in intensive volunteering
AU - Cheek, Cheryl
AU - Piercy, Kathleen W.
AU - Kohlenberg, Meranda
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 The Author(s).
PY - 2015/1
Y1 - 2015/1
N2 - This study examined the ways in which individuals over 50 years old solved problems while volunteering in intensive humanitarian and disaster relief service. Thirty-seven men and women in the sample were sponsored by three religious organizations well known for providing humanitarian and disaster relief service. Semistructured interviews yielded data that were analyzed qualitatively, using McCracken's five-step process for analysis. We found that volunteers used three different abilities to solve problems: drawing upon experience to create strategies, maintaining emotional stability in the midst of trying circumstances, and applying strategies in a contextsensitive manner. These findings illustrate that these factors, which are comparable to those used in solving everyday problems, are unique in the way they are applied to intensive volunteering. The volunteers' sharing of knowledge, experience, and support with each other were also noticeable in their accounts of their service. This sharing contributed strongly to their sense of emotional stability and effectiveness in solving problems.
AB - This study examined the ways in which individuals over 50 years old solved problems while volunteering in intensive humanitarian and disaster relief service. Thirty-seven men and women in the sample were sponsored by three religious organizations well known for providing humanitarian and disaster relief service. Semistructured interviews yielded data that were analyzed qualitatively, using McCracken's five-step process for analysis. We found that volunteers used three different abilities to solve problems: drawing upon experience to create strategies, maintaining emotional stability in the midst of trying circumstances, and applying strategies in a contextsensitive manner. These findings illustrate that these factors, which are comparable to those used in solving everyday problems, are unique in the way they are applied to intensive volunteering. The volunteers' sharing of knowledge, experience, and support with each other were also noticeable in their accounts of their service. This sharing contributed strongly to their sense of emotional stability and effectiveness in solving problems.
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U2 - 10.1177/0091415015590308
DO - 10.1177/0091415015590308
M3 - Article
C2 - 26243327
AN - SCOPUS:84945405835
SN - 0091-4150
VL - 80
SP - 184
EP - 207
JO - International Journal of Aging and Human Development
JF - International Journal of Aging and Human Development
IS - 2
ER -