Integrity is a virtue as explored by different scholars in different disciplines. When applied in ethics the term implies honesty and accuracy that is sometimes called truthfulness. Integrity represents consistency in one’s conscience. Issues that may be consistent include personal actions, attributes, principles, values, and patterns of behavior.
In these issues, accountability becomes the benchmark of measuring integrity when discrepancy occurs. A person acting in a consistent way with regard to the above actions will most likely exhibit quality in his or her character and will therefore be said to have integrity.
Objects can also be associated with integrity. The meaning derived when integrity is viewed in this perspective is purity and how intact a thing is. Examples of such objects include a computerized database. This is said to be pure if an error or a virus has not corrupted it. An undeveloped land can be said to have integrity if it has not been development. Musical work that flows rhythmically with all instruments well – organized, rhyming well with the lyrics is said to be pure and hence holds integrity.
Other disciplines that also evaluate the concept of integrity include politics, philosophy; that covers medicine and action, the mind that covers consciousness and cognition among others. These areas of study can be broadly regarded as artistic, professional, and intellectual forms of integrity. Among these forms, philosophy deals with the general characters. Philosophers seek to explore this by checking broad characteristics of ones life.
In such analysis, the integrity of a person is viewed in two perspectives. The first perspective relates to how one relates with oneself. The other one deals with how a person relates to the world around him. Philosophers state that relating with oneself directly affects how one relates with the world. Evaluations of such values as commitment to a person’s principles are very important when we want to separate concepts in integrity.
This culminates in the analysis of etiquette. Integrity is the bond that holds norms of integrity and unity together. Conflicts can arise from among the several types of integrity. The conflicts are always related to the interchangeable application of skills and virtues of integrity. This means that the skills of development in one type of integrity can easily be applied in the other type. A good example is that the skills that keep up integrity among intellectuals can be applied in conflict resolution.
Integrity can be tested. This is done either subjectively or objectively. In the former method, internal consistency and accountability of human behavior is used as a benchmark. The later is a scientific method. The method applied will depend on how people will trust the result. In subjective testing, integrity relies on the social constructs. They are all human subject to man’s cause and effect. The scientific system only serves to reinforce the subjective system that of course is usually value based.
This method involves among others, preparation of hypothesis, and assumption of particular behavior reacting to a particular way. If the results match the hypothesis then it is concluded that integrity exists. If the results do not match the hypothesis then the behavior under study will be said to lacking integrity. Trust in this method is the founded on independent analysis. This method is applied in statistics, mathematics, and physics.