Le don au cœur du bénévolat

The many ways of comprehending the gift and the act of giving must be clearly distinguished to understand what type of gift is involved in the benevolent relationship. According to an ancient comprehension, the gift creates a social link which generates an obligation. To lift the obligation and reestablish his/her social independence, the recipient is obliged to return the gift. There is an essential notion of exchange. The Christian viewpoint is more asymmetric, trying to free the gift from this obligatory reciprocity; an asymmetric gift with no counterpart largely alleviates the notion of mercantile exchange. In the benevolent relationship, a certain degree of exchange persists, implying the essential notion of a balancing counter-gift important for the equilibrium of the benevolent giver. This counter-gift could be called recognition or the satisfaction of giving.