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Research in volunteer work commonly either focuses on underlying motives and reasons why people volunteer or a macro-perspective on the non-profit sector as an organizational field. The purpose of this study is to investigate the link between the volunteers and the humanitarian non-profit organization they participate in. We conducted interviews with 12 board members from Amnesty International Sweden and the Swedish Red Cross Youth Organization to investigate how volunteers experience the formal and informal structures within the organizational context. The data is analyzed with Thornton and Ocasio’s theory of institutional logics and organizational theory with focus on the definition of formal structures. Blau’s social exchange theory is also used throughout the study to identify the interaction and mutual exchange between the volunteers and the organization. The results show that these volunteers value informal structures such as flexibility, the internal communication, group dynamics and autonomy within the organization to a greater extent than the formal structures the organizations provide. However, some volunteers have expressed feelings of confusion and lack of directives in relation to the responsibilities of their role and say they would benefit from more formal guidelines. On the other hand, a more formal structure within the organizations could clash with their ability to see the organization as adaptable. To further complicate the issue, many non-profit organizations portray themselves to prospective volunteers as flexible and emphasize on individualistic motives when recruiting for volunteers, such as future career and employability. As a result of this, many volunteers enter the organization with the expectation that they’ll have the freedom to do work which aligns with their personal motives. This in turn means they may be unprepared or run into issues with executing the work and responsibilities the organization expects from them. The most significant conclusion we reached is how the interplay between the volunteer and the organization is dependent on the individualistic volunteer’s ability to identify with the organization and by extent the purpose of the organization. This to balance out working solely off of personal motives which does not automatically get the organization to reach their mission.

Lärarrollen brukar först och främst ses som en altruistisk företeelse - läraren bör främst hänge sig åt andras behov. Trots att en sådan syn är tongivande idag är den oerhört problematisk. Denna essä ämnar att bidra till forskning om lärarrollen. Genom att använda Rousseaus idéer om det goda livet såsom de framställs i Emile, argumenterar jag för att lärarrollen ska vara egoistisk istället för främst altruistisk. Detta argument utvecklas genom tre teman: I, Happiness and Suffering; II, Compassion; III, The Egoistic Teacher. I korthet kan de två första teman anses vara förberedande inför det tredje. I det tredje temat, med exempel från litteraturen, konkretiserar jag innebörden av en egoistisk syn på lärarrollen. Genom ett egoistiskt perspektiv ses själva lärarskapet som en förlängning av lärarens själv (ego) i det ämne hen lär ut, till studenterna (inom vissa gränser). Denna syn på lärarrollen möjliggör en annan förståelse för det goda livet i läraryrket. Essän för fram tanken om att lärarens främsta fokus bör vara egoistiskt för att kunna leva ett gott liv.

In evolutionary theory the existence of self-sacrificing cooperative traits poses a problem that has engendered decades of debate. The principal theories of the evolution of altruism are inclusive fitness, reciprocal altruism, and multilevel selection. To provide a framework for the unification o f these apparently disparate theories, this dissertation identifies two fundamental conditions required for the evolution of altruism: 1) non-zero-sum fitness benefits for cooperation and 2) positive assortment among altruistic behaviors. I demonstrate the underlying similarities in these three theories in the following two ways. First, I show that the game-theoretic model of the prisoner’s dilemm a (PD) is inherent to all three theories. While the PD has been used extensively to model reciprocal altruism, I demonstrate that the n-player PD captures fundamental aspects o f multilevel selection and inclusive fitness in that NPD model parameters relate simply to Simpson’s paradox, the Price covariance equation, and Hamilton’s rule. The tension between hierarchical levels that defines a PD reflects the tension between Abstract levels o f selection that is explicit in multilevel selection theory, and im plicit in the other two theories. Second, Ham ilton’s rule from inclusive fitness theory applies to the other theories. As mentioned, I demonstrate that this rule relates to multilevel selection via the NPD. I also show that Queller’s generalization of Hamilton’s rule applies to the conditional strategies of reciprocal altmism. This challenges the selfish-gene viewpoint by highlighting the fact that it is the phenotypes o f others, not their genotypes, that is critical to the evolution o f altruism. I integrate the PD and H am ilton’s rule as follows: the evolution o f altruism in general involves PD situations in which Hamilton’s rule specifies the necessary relationship between 1) the degree of non-zero-sumness within the PD and 2) the degree of positive assortment among altruistic behaviors. Additional contributions of this research include a demonstration that randomly formed associations can provide the necessary positive assortment for strong altruism to evolve, the development of a new selection decomposition that is symmetrical to the Price equation, and a game-theoretic analysis showing the essential similarity of weak and strong altruism under selection.

Background: Subjective-well being is an increasingly important concept within consumer research. Previous studies have thus far shown the capability of brand image and other types of image to influence separate components of subjective well-being, mainly life satisfaction, positive and negative affect. This phenomenon is relevant not least in terms of green branding, as environmentally sustainable behaviour has been shown to also influence certain components of subjective well-being. The study focuses on resolving a theoretical gap in which subjective well-being as a phenomenon with all three of its components has not yet been studied, while recognising the importance of subjective well-being for consumers.  Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore how consumers' subjective well-being can be influenced by a green brand image Method: In order to explore the field properly a qualitative nature was adopted. The qualitative material was thereafter gained through 16 semi structured interviews. To capture the essence of the empirical material the paper implemented a coding method inspired by grounded theory. The resulting categories and concepts were used in the analysis of the empirical material.   Findings: The main findings brought forth by this study showcase that green brand image is able to positively influence subjective well-being, through its positive impact on life satisfaction and its components, as well as through eliciting positive affect while minimising negative affect within the context of engaging with brands that present a green image. These findings have both theoretical and practical implications further discussed.  Conclusion: In concluding remarks this paper discovered that a green brand image could influence consumer Subjective well-being due to altruism and self-image.

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The purpose of this study was to describe an appropriate protocol for developing a psychometrically sound instrument to assess perceived influences motivating graduate students to enter the counseling profession. The self-report, 124-item inventory was administered to a sample of 347 graduate students pursuing counseling as a profession. All participants responded to the inventory anonymously. A factor analysis from responses grouped scale items into six different factors, and helped condense the scale into a shorter, more psychometrically sound instrument by identifying those items with low or ambiguous factor loadings, suitable for removal. A factor analysis also identified those items most relevant for interpretation, ultimately yielding six major factors, operationalized by a variety of statements regarding various influences most consistent with students' decisions to pursue a career in the field of counseling. The literature review for this study proposes a model with four "hypotheses" of altruism upon which scale items were based. These theories identified possible motivating influences for prosocial behavior- further generalized to one's the decision to enter the helping-oriented career of counseling. This study may benefit the profession by adding to the research base on scale construction and career choice as well as offering a new inventory suitable for use with future research.

This dissertation contains three essays on the impact of other-regarding behavior on human decision-making. Chapter II uses experimental methods to analyze the relative performance of a variety of compensation contracts. This study creates an environment in which individuals are paid via common payment mechanisms employed in the dual-principal agent relationships (Piece Rate, Flat Rate, Salary, Bonus and Socialization) and examines the effect that different incentive structures have on agent behavior. In Chapter III I explore the potential outcomes of blended payment structures in a dual-principal agent environment. I draw from the previously conducted experimental study in Chapter II and simulate agent behavior induced by blended payment mechanisms. In Chapter IV, I move away from studying payment mechanisms to investigate the impact of intentionality and responsibility on an individual's decision-making process. I explore the effects of direct and indirect responsibility as well as selfish and kind intentions using experimental methodology. Each of these essays provides further evidence that other-regarding behavior has a significant impact on the outcome of an economic situation; therefore, emphasizing the need to address such behavior in theoretical designs. / Ph. D.

Positive Psychology aims to shift the conversation of mental health from solely repairing mental dysfunction to focusing on individuals’ positive qualities or strengths (Seligman, 2000). This study aims at exploring connections between a Positive Psychology college level coursework and students’ self-reported wellbeing using an electronically administered survey containing multiple scales used to measure various aspects of wellbeing. Scales used were The Ryff Scale of Psychological Wellbeing, The Purpose in Life Test (PIL), the Alienation Scale, and questions related to the course content itself. Students who have higher wellbeing tend to have increased life benefits such as health, life-satisfaction, and flourishing aspects such as academic success (Coffey, 2014). Participants were also measured on their likelihood to use the curriculum in their day-to-day operations. Results show trends in increased measure scores in a small sample size. No significant correlations were found.

The psychological inquiry into the effects of videogames and the internet on behavior is still a relatively new field. The question of whether playing violent videogames directly contribute to violent behavior, particularly in reference to its influence in mass shootings, is an important one that needs answers. A plethora of research purportedly shows the negative effects of (violent) videogames, but research showing positive effects, particularly on prosocial behaviors within the virtual world and reality, are less common. If specific videogame preferences are associated with altruistic behaviors, such a finding could elucidate how videogames might contribute to prosocial behavior. In this study, I examined if variables related to playing videogames are associated with altruism. Specifically, study variables were: (1) type of videogame played by participants (violent vs. non-violent); (2) the role players assume when playing (hero vs. villain); and (3) typical playing status (in teams vs. alone). Undergraduate students (n = 173; 120 females, 49 males, 4 “other”) completed a set of questionnaires assessing the following: their videogaming preferences and behaviors, altruism, pleasure at viewing violent media, antisocial behaviors, and aggressiveness. I had hypothesized that game players preferring to play violent games, on average, would obtain lower scores on altruism than players preferring to play non-violent games. The data did not support that hypothesis. I also hypothesized that game players who preferred playing heroes in games (instead of villains) and who preferred playing in teams (instead of playing alone) would obtain higher scores in altruism. Contrary to predictions, the data did not support those hypotheses. I also conducted exploratory analyses to determine if gaming preferences (e.g., violent or non-violent games, playing the role of heroes or villains, and playing in teams or alone) would be associated with extra-study variables (pleasure at viewing violent media, antisocial behaviors, and aggressiveness). None of the gaming preferences were associated significantly with any of the extra-study variables. All considered, these findings suggest that there is no disconcerting behavioral profile of video-gamers who enjoy playing violent video games, assuming any specific type of role, or playing in teams or alone. Additional implications of these findings are discussed.