An increasingly important component of society's response to the AIDS epidemic is the involvement of volunteers in caring for persons with AIDS. To understand this social phenomenon, we employed basic psychological theories in coordinated longitudinal and cross-sectional research on three stages of the volunteer process: antecedents of the decision to be a volunteer, experiences of volunteers and those with whom they work, and consequences for volunteers and for society. In this article, we draw upon portions of data collected from currently active AIDS volunteers to illustrate the linkages between basic research and practical problems. We discuss the ways that basic theory can both guide research on societally important issues and be informed by such research conducted in applied contexts. Finally, we relate our approach to the Lewinian tradition of action research.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Altman, I. , & Taylor, D. A. (1973). Social penetration: The development of interpersonal relationships. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
2.
Barrera, M., Jr. , & Ainlay, S. L. (1983). The structure of social support: A conceptual and empirical analysis. Journal of Community Psychology, 11, 133-143.
3.
Bem, D. J. (1967). Self-perception: An alternative interpretation of cognitive dissonance phenomena. Psychological Review, 74, 183-200.
4.
Berscheid, E. , Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (1989a). Issues in studying close relationships: Conceptualizing and measuring closeness. In C. Hendrick (Ed.), Review of personality and social psychology (Vol. 10, pp. 63-91). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
5.
Berscheid, E. , Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (1989b). The Relationship Closeness Inventory: Assessing the closeness of interpersonal relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 792-807.
6.
Centers for Disease Control . (1981, June 5). Pneumocystis pneumonia - Los Angeles. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, pp. 250-252.
7.
Chein, I. , Cook, S. W., & Harding, J. (1948). The field of action research. American Psychologist, 3, 43-50.
8.
Clary, E. G. , & Miller, J. (1986). Socialization and situational influences on sustained altruism. Child Development, 57, 1358-1369.
9.
Cobb, S. M. (1976). Social support as a moderator of life stress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 38, 300-314.
10.
Cohen, S. , & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310-357.
11.
Costanzo, M. , Archer, D., Aronson, E., & Pettigrew, T. (1986). Energy conservation behavior: The difficult path from information to action. American Psychologist, 41, 521-528.
12.
Darley, J. M. , & Beniger, J. R. (1981). Diffusion of energy-conserving innovation. Journal of Social Issues, 37, 150-171.
13.
Ferrara, A. J. (1984). My personal experience with AIDS. American Psychologist, 39, 1285-1287.
14.
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
15.
Fineberg, H. V. (1989). The social dimensions of AIDS. In The science of AIDS: Readings from Scientific American (pp. 111-121). New York: W. H. Freeman.
16.
Herek, G. M. (1987). Can functions be measured? A new perspective on the functional approach to attitudes. Social Psychology Quarterly, 50, 285-303.
17.
Herek, G. M. , & Glunt, E. K. (1988). An epidemic of stigma: Public reaction to AIDS. American Psychologist, 43, 886-891.
18.
Holmes, T. H. , & Rahe, R. H. (1967). The Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11, 213-218.
19.
Katz, D. (1960). The functional approach to the study of attitudes. Public Opinion Quarterly, 24, 163-204.
20.
Kelley, H. H. , Berscheid, E., Christensen, A., Harvey, J., Huston, T. L., Levinger, G., McClintock, E., Peplau, L. A., & Peterson, D. R. (1983). Close relationships. New York: W. H. Freeman.
21.
King, M. , Walder, L., & Pavey, S. (1970). Personality change as a function of volunteer experience in a psychiatric hospital. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 35, 423-425.
22.
Levinger, G. , & Huesmann, R. L. (1980). An "incremental exchange" perspective on the pair relationship: Interpersonal reward and level of involvement. In K. J. Gergen, M. S. Greenberg, & R. H. Willis (Eds.), Social exchange: Advances in theory and research. New York: Plenum.
23.
Lewin, K. (1946). Action research and minority problems. Journal of Social Issues, 2, 34-46.
24.
Lewin, K. (1947). Group decision and social change. In T. M. Newcomb & E. L. Hartley (Eds.), Readings in social psychology. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
25.
Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social science (D. Cartwright, Ed.). New York: Harper & Row. (Original work published 1944)
26.
Lopez, D. , & Getzel, G. S. (1987). Strategies for volunteers caring for persons with AIDS. Social Casework, 68, 47-53.
27.
Lui, K. , Darrow, W., & Rutherford, G. W. (1988). A model-based estimate of the mean incubation period for AIDS in homosexual men. Science, 240, 1333-1335.
28.
Marrow, A. J. (1969). The practical theorist: The life and work of Kurt Lewin. New York: Teachers College Press.
29.
McGuire, W. J. (1969). Theory-oriented research in natural settings: The best of both worlds for social psychology. In M. Sherif & C. W. Sherif (Eds.), Interdisciplinary relationships in the social sciences (pp. 21-51). Hawthorne, NY: Aldine.
30.
Morgan, W. M. , & Curran, J. W. (1986). Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: Current and future trends. Public Health Reports, 101, 459-465.
31.
Morin, S. F. (1988). AIDS: The challenge to psychology. American Psychologist, 43, 838-842.
32.
Omoto, A. M. , & Morier, D. (1988). Fear as a source of information: Perceptions of AIDS. Unpublished manuscript, University of Kansas.
33.
Omoto, A. M. , & Snyder, M. (1989a). AIDS volunteers' narrative accounts of their experiences. Unpublished raw data.
34.
Omoto, A. M. , & Snyder, M. (1989b). National survey of AIDS volunteers. Unpublished raw data.
35.
100,000 AIDS cases reported in U.S . (1989, July 24). Lawrence Journal-World, p. 2B.
36.
Report: AIDS estimate low . (1989, June 26). Lawrence Journal-World, p. 2A.
37.
Rook, K. S. (1984). Research on social support, loneliness, and social isolation: Toward an integration. In P. Shaver (Ed.), Review of personality and social psychology (Vol. 5, pp. 239-264). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
38.
Sanford, N. (1970). Whatever happened to action research?Journal of Social Issues, 26, 3-23.
39.
Scheibe, K. E. (1965). College students spend eight weeks in mental hospital: A case report. Psychotherapy: Theory, research and practice, 2, 117-120.
40.
Smith, M. B. , Bruner, J. S., & White, R. W. (1956). Opinions and personality. New York: Wiley.
41.
Snyder, M. (1988). Needs and goals, plans and motives: The new "new look" in personality and social psychology. Unpublished manuscript, University of Minnesota.
42.
Snyder, M. , & DeBono, K. G. (1987). A functional approach to attitudes and persuasion. In M. P. Zanna, J. M. Olson, & C. P. Herrnan (Eds.), Social influence: The Ontario Symposium (Vol. 5, pp. 107-125). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
43.
Snyder, M. , & DeBono, K. G. (1989). Understanding the functions of attitudes: Lessons from personality and social behavior. In A. R. Pratkanis, S. J. Breckler, & A. G. Greenwald (Eds.), Attitude structure and function (pp. 339-359). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
44.
Snyder, M. , & Ickes, W. (1985). Personality and social behavior. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (3rd ed., pp. 883-947). New York: Random House.
45.
Suls, J. (1982). Social support, interpersonal relations, and health: Benefits and liabilities. In G. S. Saunders & J. Suls (Eds.), Social psychology of health and illness (pp. 255-277). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
46.
Tolsdorf, C. C. (1976). Social networks, support, and coping: An exploratory study. Family Process, 15, 407-417.
47.
Triplet, R. G. , & Sugarman, D. B. (1987). Reactions to AIDS victims: Ambiguity breeds contempt. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 13, 265-274.
48.
Watkins, J. D. (1989). Responding to the HIV epidemic: A national strategy. American Psychologist, 43, 849-851.
