| Summary: | In the volunteer work of emergency psychologists, it is possible to see some elements of symbolic reward. Being free to act on one's own initiative is a selfdetermination experience which has a high ethical value; it enhances self-esteem, particularly when represents a kind of heroic initiation to the profession. Volunteer work experiences provide psychologists in training not only with opportunities of experimentation and learning but also with a legitimation and a social acknowledgement of the professional role. However, to prevent the risk of selfreferentiality the volunteer work of young psychologists is not to be considered as an informal apprenticeship which idealizes the “field experiences” without the due critical processing of the experiences themselves. The sense of belonging to the “professional community” and the care of associational bonds counteract subjectification, isolation, and the potential dispersiveness of volunteer work. In the volunteer work of psychologists, it is important not to loose sight of the complexity of the context and the specificity of one's own interventions, that are to be blended with other resources and professionals which are present on the field. The volunteer work subjectivity and the dynamics of group and association membership must be integral parts of permanent education, in order to creatively support the professional identity of psychologists. Also relevant is the ethical dimension, which orients the helping professions and must be mindfully taken on as a meaningful reference point of volunteer work.
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