The True Meaning of Integrity (Extended Definition Essay)

            Nowadays, integrity is commonly described as a moral trait. It is even interchangeably used with honesty. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, integrity is “the quality of being honest and fair.” The Latin root of integrity says otherwise. The Latin root of integrity, integritatem, means “soundness” or “wholeness.” (“Etymology and Definitions,” n.d., p. 1) This shows that integrity is much more than being honest or moral. “A person with integrity has the — often rare — ability to pull everything together, to make it all happen no matter how challenging the circumstances.” (“Etymology and Definitions,” n.d., p. 3) Thus, a person with integrity is able to make everything complete. He is able to make everything work. Saying having integrity means being honest is inaccurate because a person with integrity is not necessarily honest all the time. There are many ways to define integrity other than honesty. According to Damian Cox, Marguerite La Caze, and Michael Levine (2001), integrity can be viewed in many different aspects. Three of these most common and important aspects are integrity as self-integration, integrity as maintenance of one’s identity, and integrity as a virtue.

            Integrity as self-integration views integrity as something that combines the various parts of a person’s personality into one undivided whole (Cox et al, 2001). In other words, this particular view of integrity promotes the wholeness of character of a person. This view of integrity is the closest to the Latin etymology of the word. When it comes to this view of integrity, Harry Frankfurt’s theory is often mentioned. Frankfurt states that desires and volitions (the power to make choices and decisions) arranged in a hierarchy contribute in achieving self-integration. Frankfurt calls these desires and volitions first-order desires, second-order desires, and so on. There are certain desires and volition that a person identifies with, which contributes to the elimination of the divided, non-integrated self. “... [This] explains the consistency of word and deed that intuitively characterises the person of integrity.” (Baxter, Dempsey, Megone and Lee, 2012, p. 11) For example, a person may have a desire to do his homework and a desire to go to a party. He then chooses to study instead. This shows that he may value success over fun. The person’s sure decision makes him integrated, meaning knowing what he really wants to do and identifying with this particular desire contributes to self-integration.

            On the other hand, rather than choosing between desires or volitions, the identity approach of integrity pertains to a person’s faithfulness to his commitments which are fundamental factors to his identity (Cheshire Calhoun, 1995).  According to Bernard Williams (cited in Baxter et al, 2012), these commitments that the person identify with most deeply are called “identity-conferring commitments.” For example, if a person identifies himself as a daily task achiever and fails to finish his homework (thus, he fails to stay true to his commitment), his identity is questioned. Therefore, integrity in the view of identity is “acting in a way that accurately reflects your sense of who you are…” (Cox et al, 2001, p. 14). However, criticisms against this view arose. One particular criticism says that it is going against the aspect of integrity as a virtue, which is probably the most popular perception of integrity. According to Cox et al (2001), the identity view debunks the idea that integrity is acting from motivation (integrity as a virtue). Thus, the identity view gives a message that a person with integrity may commit unacceptable deeds as long as it is parallel to his core identity and commitments.

            Integrity as virtue is probably the most common aspect of the word. As mentioned above, integrity as virtue is acting from motivation. My teacher once told me that integrity is doing the right thing even without anyone looking. This is a good example of viewing integrity as a virtue. What motivated the person to do the right thing without any audience? Integrity motivated him to do so. From the definition of my teacher, it can be said that integrity is the virtue of doing what a person believes is right. Thus, it is obvious that the beliefs and values of a person are involved in practicing integrity in this particular aspect.

            In conclusion, the true meaning of integrity is still unclear. There are so many theories made as to what integrity really is. Many researches were written about integrity and they are highly subjective. Thus, the meaning of integrity really depends on a person’s view. However, based on the theories and interpretation mentioned above, it can be said that integrity is somehow a way of acting morally and a means of relating to self. In other words, integrity is something a person does for himself and for the people around him. For this reason, integrity is considered to be the important core quality of a happy and successful life in a way that it somehow results in a harmonious relationship with people and, most importantly, the person himself (self-relationship). A person with integrity then does what he believes is true and when told otherwise, he will learn from his mistakes. Thus, it unites people together, affecting society positively.

References:

Baxter, J., Dempsey, J., Megone, C., & Lee, J. (2012). What is Integrity?. Real Integrity (pp. 11-

15). London: Chartered Accountants Worldwide.

Calhoun, C. (1995). Standing for Something. The Journal of Philosophy, 92(5), 235. Retrieved

from http://faculty.arch.utah.edu/benham/readings/calhoun.pdf

Cox, D., Caze, M. L., & Levine, M. (2001, April 9). Integrity. Stanford University. Retrieved

from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/integrity/

Etymology and Definitions. (n.d.). Real Estate. Retrieved from

http://integritatem.com/?page_id=10             

Integrity. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/

dictionary/Integrity