ROLA AKTYWNOŚCI TWÓRCZEJ W PREWENCJI UTRATY SENSU śYCIA WŚRÓD MĘśCZYZN ODBYWAJĄCYCH KARĘ POZBAWIENIA WOLNOŚCI

The paper examines the role of art (creativity) in the development of the sense of life of inmates. The goal of this study is to show the relationship between creative activity of prisoners and their understanding of the meaning of life. The study was conducted on the set of natural groups: from the group of 41 men, 19 qualified for the experimental group (active creatively) and 22 qualified for the control group (uncreative activity). The two groups did not differ in terms of age, marital status, length of sentence, education, criminal record, or a sense of loneliness. The results show that men undergoing imprisonment and exhibiting interest in some form of active participation in the arts were characterized by a higher level of search for the meaning of life in comparison with the prisoners having no creative activity. The results are consistent with the other studies carried out among the socially disadvantaged.