Sense of Humor and Coping With Physical Disability

Abstract

In the recent play and film, Whose life is it anyway? (Benedictus, 1981), a rather sensitive portrayal was offered of the quandary faced by an accident victim as he wrestled with the realization that his quadriplegia was a permanent condition. In that drama the protagonist, a sculptor, learns that he will be unable to participate in any of those activities, professional or personal, that have given meaning to his life. His resolve to die rather than to accept his condition and reorganize his life around new concerns formed the major theme of this drama. His decision was shown to be most upsetting to the medical establishment for whom life itself is a goal, not the way in which that life might have to be lived.