Activism and volunteering are two noticeable forms of social participation. Although some researchers consider them similar, others affirm that they differ in their frames (charity versus change), effects (cohesion versus tension), social representations, and also in their psychosocial correlates. Drawing on role‐identity theory, this study based on an on‐line survey explores the extent to which individuals (N = 270) engaged in activities focused on social justice and equality issues, self‐identify as activists and as volunteers. We predicted and found that based on prioritised goals, and ideological, motivational, or dispositional correlates activist role‐identity can be characterised as ‘system‐challenger’ and ‘true‐to‐the‐self’; meanwhile, volunteer role‐identity can be described as showing a ‘system‐fitting’ pattern. Cluster and subsequent discriminant analyses allowed us to study the variety of role‐identity profiles, and to differentiate five forms of engagement in terms of role‐identity and psychosocial variables that explain belonging to one or another type. These were ‘activists’, ‘volunteers’, ‘highly identified’, ‘undefined’, and ‘low role‐identity’. We did not find psychosocial evidence about the existence of the ‘transformative volunteers’ profile, suggested by some researchers and other studies. We rely on the identity and identity process theories in order to frame the study and interpret the results. Possible practical implications are discussed.

中文翻译：

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我是维权人士，志愿者还是两者都没有？对从事平等和社会正义问题的公民的角色－身份概况及其相关性的研究

活动和志愿服务是社会参与的两种明显形式。尽管有些研究人员认为它们相似，但另一些研究人员则确认它们的框架（慈善与变化），效果（凝聚与紧张），社会表征以及心理社会联系有所不同。基于角色认同理论，这项基于在线调查的研究探索了个体（N= 270）从事围绕社会正义和平等问题的活动，自认是积极分子和志愿者。我们预测并发现，基于优先目标，以及意识形态，动机或性倾向的关联，维权者的角色认同可以被描述为“系统挑战者”和“真实自我”。同时，志愿者的角色认同可以描述为一种“系统适合”的模式。聚类分析和随后的判别分析使我们能够研究各种角色身份档案，并根据角色身份和解释属于一种或另一种类型的社会心理变量来区分五种参与形式。他们是“积极分子”，“志愿者”，“高度认同”，“不确定”和“低角色认同”。一些研究人员和其他研究表明，我们没有找到有关“变革性志愿者”形象存在的社会心理证据。我们依靠身份和身份过程理论来构架研究并解释结果。讨论了可能的实际含义。