title: Dimensions of human spirituality, layman understandings of health and limits of medicine.
abstract: The essence of human uniqueness and what is special about humans is spirituality. What is unique to every human being is his: language, sociability, politic, science, art, technical and working attitudes, playing games, fun and laughter, as well as religiosity and ethical attitudes. All of these dimensions are based upon spirituality or even the human spirit. This paper aims to relate all these dimensions of human spirituality to the sick person and establish to what extent that person is imbued with them and whether he can rely on them. Furthermore, this paper attempts to shed some light on the limits of medicine, especially as seen by Ivan Illich. In the end we are left with a series of questions, and possibly with an indisputable fact that the person who is suffering physically or mentally is "saved" by his most amazing unique trait--his religiosity.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Clinic of KBC Rijeka, Cambijerijeva 17/7, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia. edopavlovic@net.hr
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pavlović
authors.forename: Dulijano
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ljubicić
authors.forename: Vjekoslav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Peitl
authors.forename: Marija Vucić
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Peitl
authors.forename: Ivana Bistrović
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Ljubicić
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ljubicić
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D055809:Illness Behavior; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D029181:Spirituality