What is Integrity?

INTEGRITY, n. 1. quality of being honest and up-right in character :commercial ~ , 2. condition of being complete.

Integrity comprises the personal inner sense of "wholeness" deriving from honesty and consistent uprightness of character. The etymology of the word relates it to the Latin adjective integer (whole, complete). Evaluators, of course, usually assess integrity from some point of view, such as that of a given ethical tradition or in the context of an ethical relationship.

MANY PEOPLE APPEAR TO USE THE WORD "INTEGRITY" IN A VAGUE MANNER AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE PERCEIVED POLITICAL INCORRECTNESS OF USING BLATANTLY MORALISTIC TERMS SUCH AS "GOOD" OR ETHICAL. IN THIS SENSE THE TERM OFTEN REFERS TO A REFUSAL TO ENGAGE IN LYING, BLAMING OR OTHER BEHAVIOR GENERALLY SEEMING TO EVADE ACCOUNTABILITY. INTEGRITY IS HOLDING TRUE TO ONE'S VALUES. SAID ANOTHER WAY: BEING ONE'S WORD; DOING WHAT YOU SAID YOU WOULD DO BY WHEN YOU SAID YOU WOULD DO IT. INTEGRITY IS KNOWING WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU AND LIVING YOUR ACTIONS ACCORDINGLY. IT MAY TAKE THE FORM OF A SENSE OF ETIQUETTE THAT RUNS VERY DEEP, AS IN RELIGIOUS OR POLITICAL VIRTUES.

There exists, however a more formal study of the term integrity and its meaning in modern ethics. It is often understood not only as a refusal to engage in behavior that evades responsibility, but as an understanding of different modes or styles in which some discourse takes place, and which aims at the discovery of some truth.