I looked up the word integrity
to see if the dictionary definition might shed some light on it.
Quote:
1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.
3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.
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It's interesting how definitions 1 and 3 are linked together by def 2. Based on all 3 then, I would say that integrity means being
self-consistent in regards to one's set of values and morals. Self-consistency is only achieved if one's actions are in accordance to one's beliefs (morals/values). So yes CoolBee, I think you were right to see integrity as behavioural and also that integrity and honesty overlap a great deal. Any person with some degree of self-awareness is not being
honest with herself if she does things that contradict her values/moral beliefs. So honesty (at least in this internal sense of being honest with oneself) is certainly a vital component of integrity.
Honesty on its own is much simpler and just relates to telling the truth. (This is still behavioural though as well. One has to
act honestly to be considered honest!) Now, if truth is one's highest held value then I suppose integrity and honesty would be non-differentiable. But, like you said CoolBee, I think we all see compassion as more important than truth on some level. Hence all the white-lies, small talk, and euphemisms that pervade our society.