The role of self-development process in the formation of social competence in future bachelors of law

The importance of the process of self-development for the forming specialist is quite obvious. However, as a result of self-improvement is usually perceived only as a personal benefit (egocentric effects). Taking into account L. С. Vygotsky’s approach to the phenomenon of «interiorization,» the authors suggest that society is the source and ultimate consumer of all the effects of personal self-improvement. In other words, all important personal psychological phenomena are not only caused by communicative processes within a given society, but are also aimed at strengthening them. Consequently, the integration of the individual into society is mediated by two grounds: 1) strengthening interpersonal ties, which is a guarantor of the security of society; 2) development of the personality itself. A rich personal inner world becomes a tool of self-knowledge and an effective tool of interaction with society. It is assumed that at a deep level fundamental psychological regularities are unified for all representatives of society, and personal reflection allows to reveal all the latent regularities of its development. We will also strengthen our judgments by the fact that self-improvement is a structural element of such a new formation as social competence. Finally, it should be clarified that the scientific interest of the authors is related to such a professional community as future bachelors of law. Therefore, the aim of the study is to clarify the significance of personal self-actualization within the mastered profession for the formation of social competence. Theoretical and empirical research was conducted to verify the hypothesis. Practical verification was made on the basis of the results of the test of Communicative Social Competence (CSC). At the end of the study it was revealed that future bachelors of law, who actively participated in the sessions on self-development, finding their purpose for society, showed a confident growth of social competence skills.