Integrity

Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy, in that it regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs.

Definition

The word integrity evolved from the Latin adjective integer, meaning whole or complete. In this context, integrity is the inner sense of "wholeness" deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. As such, one may judge that others "have integrity" to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold.

In Ethics

In ethics when discussing behavior and morality, an individual is said to possess the virtue of integrity if the individual's actions are based upon an internally consistent framework of principles. These principles should uniformly adhere to sound logical axioms or postulates. One can describe a person as having ethical integrity to the extent that the individual's actions, beliefs, methods, measures and principles all derive from a single core group of values.

In Systems

In systems design and computer science, integrity refers to the consistency and coherence of a system or set of data. This can include the condition of being whole or undivided. There are measures of the integrity of a system and the integrity of a set of data.

In Law

In law, the concept of integrity has also been used in many different contexts and has been given various interpretations. It is often used in a sense that combines honesty and adherence to a rule of law or code of conduct.

See Also

• Ethics
• Morality
• Honesty
• Truthfulness
• Systems Design
• Computer Science
• Law

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