The best interests of the child in the project of the Family Code – a semantic analysis of the concept
ABSTRACT
The aim of the article is a semantic analysis of the concept of the best interests of the child appearing in the draft of the new Family Code. The research material is a legal document, though it was analysed from an interdisciplinary perspective. The main research question was the following: what meanings constitute the content dominant of the best interests of the child concept, and which appear rarely, if there are any dilemmas, discrepancies, and critical points related to the concept of the best interests of the child. Six separate networks were created (equivalents, terms, associations, oppositions, descriptions of actions, and descriptions of actions regarding the best interests of the child), which, after being put in order created the semantic field of the concept of the best interests of the child. This way, the real meaning and clusters of associations related to the analysed concept were found. Each network is described separately. Based on the analysis –by using the semantic network – a detailed definition of the best interests of the child existing in the draft of the new Family Code was determined.