This document presents information from a body of research called Lives of Service, a collection of case studies of 32 altruistic adults. It begins with a review of the research on altruism, service orientation, giving, helpfulness, social responsibility, and voluntarism. Research on altruism in psychology and in other disciplines is included, along with studies of altruistic children and adolescents. Anthropological observations of altruism among children in primitive cultures are discussed, and research on birth order and altruism in large families is examined. The Lives of Service sample is described and the influence on altruism of childhood work, family helping, caring for younger children, teenage office holding, volunteer work, and church involvement is briefly examined. The overall adult life-situation, kinds of altruistic activity, varieties of altruistic careers, and community-organizational volunteer work are described. Two case histories are presented to illustrate modes of giving, and to demonstrate antecedents of altruism. New causes and antecedents suggested by the Lives of Service case histories are discussed. Finally, the community organization of volunteer work is considered, incentives other than altruism for volunteering are examined, altruism on-the-job is described, and strategic problems which altruistic persons can encounter are discussed. (NRB)