What does integrity mean?

[Yasiru]

I find it hard to grasp the concept of integrity that steve and many other personal development speakers speak about?

Can anyone explain it to me pease?

[magi13]

Integrity is the;

a. steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code;
b. The state of being wholesome;
c. unimpaired;
d. The quality or condition of being complete;
e. pure

[gerber]

Ask 10 people and you get 10 different answers. I think integrity is living according to your own standards. Some of these standards are based upon where you grew up or what your religious background is (thou shalt not...) and some are just basic common sense (no stealing, murdering, etcetera). But it gets tricky in the grey area, like can you use your cell phone from work for private phone calls. That's an example of where your personal integrity comes in.

[Lauxa]

From a kindergarten classroom:

Integrity is doing the right thing, even when nobody is looking.

[RT Wolf]

There's a simple enough test. If you do or say or think something and then feel a little split or cognitive dissonance feeling within you, you've just done something that wasn't congruent with the rest of you.

[Yasiru]

So does integrity mean that my actions are in alignment with my beliefs and values? Or that every aspect of my life (career, thoughts, relationships......) are focused on achieving my goals?

[jtracy]

I think integrity is acting according to your own beleifs instead of acting according to the wishes of the people around you. It is knowing who you truly are instead of letting other people define you (that means of course getting rid of the limiting beleifs other people imposed on you a long time ago in addition to ignoring the unfounded and inaccurate things that people tell you today); and acting according to that knowledge.
Ruthless honesty about yourself is a large part of integrity too. It means acknowledging and accepting those parts of yourself you would rather not see.

[ilrein]

Integrity is like a steel girder. If it bends even once, it's useless.

[polyfulcrum]

Integrity is where your beliefs, your actions, what you say, and how you feel are consistent. You are integrated, and when you choose a course of action, it's not based on which way the wind is blowing at a given moment.

[Zuvuya42]

Personal responsibility in every aspect of your life and applying that to your actions so as not to constantly do the same things unhealthy things over and over (such as lying repeatedly, telling "stories", breaking promises, cheating, etc.).

I imagine someone could take personal responsibility, but keep on doing stuff that creates trouble in their life. So it must be extended to actions as well. Check out verse 51 of the Tao Te Ching.

[RT Wolf]

Originally Posted by ilrein

Integrity is like a steel girder. If it bends even once, it's useless.

I disagree with that. Redepemption and forgiveness are common themes in most societies. Why not be able to forgive yourself? To redeem yourself?

[Montrealonmymind]

Some people are trying to hard to have integrity and go on and on about how they have so much integrity and bla bla bla...and I think realizing that integrity means that you are human and that you make and learn from mistakes is part of integrity as well. No one is perfect.

[ilrein]

Originally Posted by RT Wolf

I disagree with that. Redepemption and forgiveness are common themes in most societies. Why not be able to forgive yourself? To redeem yourself?

Of course you can.

But return the bent girder back to its original form, and every construction worker, investor, carpenter, and manager will know that girder has bent once before.

[goodstyles]

Originally Posted by magi13

Integrity is the;

a. steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code;
b. The state of being wholesome;
c. unimpaired;
d. The quality or condition of being complete;
e. pure

There are some heinous descriptions out there for integrity and in cases like this referencing Answers.com rarely explains a concept as ambiguous as this nearly well enough.

Originally Posted by RT Wolf

There's a simple enough test. If you do or say or think something and then feel a little split or cognitive dissonance feeling within you, you've just done something that wasn't congruent with the rest of you.

And then there are great ones.

...

Yasiru, I can't put it much better than RT Wolf, but you will feel it when it's there. One approach to understanding something is understanding what it's not. Wikipedia has a comment in it that 'hypocrisy' is a contrast to it.

If a system [you] has a defined set of rules/mandates [values/beliefs], failure to run by them as it operates points to a low level of integrity in the system.

Furthermore, unless you're highly conscious, you wont know really what they are, so you don't know any better. Improving your integrity is highly correlated to your level of consciousness and therefore your knowledge of yourself and what your value system is.

I don't see the relationship of forgiveness to the definition of integrity.

So does integrity mean that my actions are in alignment with my beliefs and values? Or that every aspect of my life (career, thoughts, relationships......) are focused on achieving my goals?

Both. Your career and relationships... every aspect of your living stems from your value system. Living true to your values points to high integrity. Thinking and saying 1 thing, but living/doing another is hypocrisy.

Word.

[Yasiru]

Finally I've got some clarity over this. Thank you very much friends for your time and effort to explain this to me. Now I can work with my values, with much more clarity.

[smartile]

Definition: Integrity | Freedom Education