IMPACT OF THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT ON THE SOCIAL INTEREST OF INCARCERATED PERSONS
This article is dedicated to studying the social interest of incarcerated persons, serving a sentence in correctional facilities. The study is based on the concept of social interest, which is a part of Alfred Adler’s theory of Individual Psychology. In his theory, Adler defines social interest as an innate potential that can be developed either more or less in the course of an individual’s life, depending on the specifics of their environment and education. According to the above-mentioned concept, social interest is formed up to the fifth year of the child’s life under the influence of the family. Despite the theoretical grounds established by Adler, evidence from pedagogical research (including his own practice in Vienna’s Child Education Centers) shows that a number of other factors, exterior to the family, can influence the formation of social interest as well. Under such an assumption, a study of the social interest of incarcerated persons has been conducted, with the main objective to determine the impact of the educational environment created in correctional facilities. The study results suggest that prisoners who get involved in the educational process and educational environment in correctional facilities, display increased dynamics and levels of social interest. With regard to social practice, increasing the social interest of incarcerated persons could ensure better social inclusion, social integration and a lawful way of life.