The 1965 Law on the Unified Socialist Education System (Gesetz über das einheitliche sozialistische Bildungssystem) states the education and upbringing of comprehensively and harmoniously developed socialist personalities as the overarching goal of the GDR's socialist education system (Section 1, 1). The socialist personality (Sozialistische Persönlichkeit) was to be characterized by loyalty to the SED, a love of the GDR homeland, work, and a willingness to engage in class struggle. The formation of socialist personalities was described as one of the "noblest ideals of socialism" (Laabs et al., 1987, p. 19). Despite these clear political implications, there is also something vague about the formula. This applies, for example, to the requirement of all-roundness and of harmonious development, which also drew on Humboldt's educational ideal from the 19th century. However, it was precisely this vagueness that enabled forms of state control and specific interpretation in the persecution of people who supposedly did not correspond to the ideal of the socialist personality. Thus, the education of a socialist personality was a central component of the construction of socialism and its education and training system, as well as the creation of the new man (Droit, 2014). Texts on education, for example, spoke of the education of a "new generation" with reference to Friedrich Engels (Brückner, 1976, p. 216), or of "education for new relations and conduct" (Neubert, 1975, p. 102), liberated from the "dross of the exploitative society" (ibid., p. 30). In addition to school education and upbringing, the extracurricular areas of GDR children's and youth organizations, i. e. the Ernst Thälmann pioneer organisation and the Free German Youth (Freie Deutsche Jugend, FDJ), were also integrated into the education system. They shared the goal of educating a socialist personality. This also affected the entire spectrum of educational media that was intended to contribute to the education of socialist personalities (Baader/Koch/Neumann 2025 i.E.).

In schools, this objective elicited an orientation towards the official state doctrine of Marxism-Leninism. Even if teachers had a certain amount of leeway with implementation and treatment of individual subjects, deviant behaviour often led to repressive treatment of students. Disciplinary measures such as placement in residential institutions or expulsion from school could also be the consequence. The effectiveness of education for the socialist personality in the sense of the SED was examined by scholars, while the Ministry of Education (Ministerium für Volksbildung) monitored schools and teaching in this regard, and the expected success was monitored by the Ministry for State Security (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit). From the SED's point of view, the development of well-rounded socialist personalities remained deficient until the end of the GDR despite all efforts, because the implementation of the theoretical and ideological guidelines in social and educational practice was problematic and would remain unfulfilled until the coming of the Peaceful Revolution (Friedliche Revolution).