Introduction
As a ubiquitous abstract concept, integrity should not be reduced to superficial honesty. This essay provides and explains an extended definition of the term. In it, integrity is defined as an individual’s ability to stay honest, apply one’s core philosophical and moral beliefs thoughtfully and consistently, and find the balance between personal ethical ideals and job-related moral requirements.
Integrity as the Consistency of Beliefs
Integrity affects an individual’s decision-making in situations that require moral choices. Unlike professional and political contexts where ethical standards are in place, personal decisions do not necessarily require a person to be sincere, consistent, and not superficially honest. In certain contexts, the integrity of a person’s beliefs is accepted as a measure of mental health and adequacy (Příhodová et al. 24). At the personality level, integrity is the opposite of hypocrisy and refers to the wholeness and consistent benevolent application of one’s beliefs. For instance, if a person does not eat meat and accepts the philosophy of vegetarianism, which involves opposing animal suffering, refusing to wear natural fur or purchase non-cruelty-free products will be essential to retain integrity. In this sense, integrity is consistency and the unwillingness to “betray” one’s core beliefs and their direct consequences even if doing so would bring more personal profit.
Integrity as Honesty with Others
From my perspective, the key everyday manifestation of integrity is being honest with oneself and other individuals. Specifically, possessing the virtue of integrity involves the ability to adhere to the social norm of honesty and demonstrate this adherence consistently if a person expects others to do the same. In this context, from my observations, an individual’s integrity finds reflection in multiple seemingly insignificant efforts that tell a lot about moral levels. For instance, informing cashiers that they have given extra change instead of taking it, informing strangers that they have dropped something, and avoiding lying for personal profit can be some examples of moral wholeness. Therefore, honesty in interpersonal interactions forms the basis of my understanding of integrity.
Professional Integrity
Apart from its personality-level meanings, integrity can be related to moral and ethical standards peculiar to diverse professional fields. In psychology studies, professional integrity is defined as “wholeness, inviolability, and integrity of all personality structures and functions” applied to a person’s workplace activities (Příhodová et al. 24). Specifically, it involves coping with the “routine moral burden” of the profession and relieving tensions between the role-related expectations and the employee’s personal moral values (Příhodová et al. 25). Professional integrity is brightly manifested in academic professions where individuals must maintain “intellectual honesty” in the use, collection, and documentation of information (Abdalqhadr 94). Considering this, personal integrity can extend to one’s professional activities.
Conclusion
In summary, the provided definition aims to describe integrity with reference to the consistency of beliefs, being honest with others, and remaining ethically “whole” in the workplace. The identified dimensions of integrity deal with the quality of ethical decision-making in different communicative situations. Considering the term’s importance, achieving integrity is a critical self-improvement goal.
Works Cited
Abdalqhadr, Ali. “Academic Integrity Is an Extension of Your Own Personal Integrity.” Economics, Finance and Management Review, no. 1, 2020, pp. 93-98. Web.
Příhodová, Tereza, et al. “The Relationship between Work Integrity and Other Variables and Behaviors.” Studia Psychologica, vol. 63, no. 1, 2021, pp. 24-42. Web.