ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the relationship of health to the self, self-awareness, and self-image, and the psychological defence mechanisms of the self. Paul Tillich believed health to be governed by the same laws as all development and all life processes. Personal health, development, and maturity, in his view, entails a dialogue between two basic polar elements: self-identity and self-alteration. A common term used in relation to the overall health of an individual or a team and their ability to perform tasks in the face of adversity is morale. Tillich’s message is also that absolute health in all dimensions might be an impossibility. In terms of the individual leader, it is possible to be a healthy leader without the leader needing to be healthy in every possible way. Less healthy manifestations include the inability to be alone, unable to cope without the company of others and in interpersonal demands that might be seen as awkward.
