What, if any, is the difference between Honesty and Integrity?

[CoolBee]

I'm exploring this question. I wondered what your views are.

I believe they are different though overlapping greatly.

I believe I try always to behave with Integrity, but am not always Honest if it will cause unnecessary hurt to be so - I guess I rate 'compassion' as a higher value (for me personally) than 'honesty'.


Edit: just wondering if the fact that I've written 'integrity' in a 'behavioural' format and 'honesty' as a personal attribute might have some bearing? You can be an honest person, can you be an integrity person? Hm. Semantics semantics.

[Angela]

To me, they're two different values, but there is overlap.

Honesty is operating in truth -- being the truth with yourself and others. That's not the same thing as spewing out every thought in your head unformatted, heedless of its impact.

Integrity is operating as your word in the world, doing what you know is right for you to do, doing what you say you'll do when you say you'll do it, and doing it the way it's meant to me done.

[SatvikBeri]

I see Integrity is acting in accordance with your values according to their priorities.

As an extreme example, lying to a criminal to save a potential victim's life could certainly fall in line with Integrity, though technically not under Honesty. A doctor telling his patient that a medicine works in order to take advantage of Placebo effects could be operating under Integrity, though not Honesty, because he values his patient's life more than the lie.

Hope this helps!

[tomn8er]

I looked up the word integrity to see if the dictionary definition might shed some light on it.

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.

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.

[Brutha]

Integrity is about doing what you promise to do.

[rei]

acting with integrity is basically about "doing the right thing."
sometimes this also involves being honest. sometimes it seems the 'right' thing to do is maintain our honesty but soften it as well, if a person is in a lot of pain for example, then the right thing may not involve brutally direct sharing (no, i'm not talking about lying to spare someone's feelings - i'm talking about reining in the bluntness without sacrificing the core truth of the message; if someone is in tears, we can be honest without being blunt if that would fit in with our personal values. but i do realize for some people, it is acting with integrity to be blunt and direct no matter what).

honesty and integrity are definitely related, and often in the same camp, but i think acting with integrity involves more than just being honest. it also involves sincerity and authenticity - it's all connected to truth, but the ways it relates to truth can be slightly different.

[blossom]

Integrity, for me, is about seeing my word as Law, and following through on what I say I will do...because anything less than this is broadcasting to the universe that I am not reliable, and will affect my self-esteem...and this is something I take pretty seriously and strive to be.

Honesty is about being truthful with yourself and with others...and speaking my truth with love.

[Michael Chui]

Integrity is "Who am I?"

Honesty is "What am I expressing?"

[Annemieke]

Interesting question! And also interesting views so far.

My first reaction was that they are certainly not the same, I have very different ideas about each. But difficult to explain actually.

I also think there is overlap, but honesty might have nothing to do with integrity. Someone might be very honest, but have no integrity.

On the other side I think integrity needs honesty, although not honesty in general, but honesty to yourself.

It might include being not always honest to others (placing compassion before honesty or so) but make an inner decision to do the right thing at that time. Realising that what you say and do is a combination of your values and the feelings of others.

Further it is also interesting what you say about behaviour and personality. Again my first reaction was that integrity might be less spontanious because it sounds more thoughtful then honesty.

But actually I think it is very well possible to be spontanious with integrity. Although it might take a certain amount of practise and experience, compared with honesty.

But then again, for some people it might just be the opposite. Who find honesty very difficult because they think about others to much and forget their own values.

[JMonkey]

I always assumed that being honest was a moral component to form integrity.

For example, if your values were 1) To never litter 2) Always be honest 3) Never complain etc - and then you dropped a piece of rubbish on the floor, you lose some integrity. Then you tell your boss you're feeling sick, you're not sick, you lose some integrity. You moan about your work hours, you lose some integrity.

And that to have a great deal integrity means you follow your morals/values as closely as you can.

The issue being, the morals and values which we choose will need to have a social or personal gain. Someone with a belief that causing harm to others is good cannot gain a great deal of integrity...Or maybe they can, and integrity can be segregated into catogories of good and bad.

[Curtis2011]

They are basically the same.

Except, sometimes you can be telling someone the truth with the intention to hurt them (truth without integrity), and sometimes you can lie to people but for a higher purpose (integrity without truth).

[Michael Chui]

Originally Posted by Curtis2011

Except, sometimes you can be telling someone the truth with the intention to hurt them (truth without integrity), and sometimes you can lie to people but for a higher purpose (integrity without truth).

It's a little simpler if you strip out the stuff you're saying about higher purpose and hurting people. A dishonest person who tells the truth has no integrity, whereas he has integrity when he lies.

Interestingly, I can't do the same trick by swapping integrity and honesty: I can't say "A fragmented person who acts in accordance with himself is ... telling the truth? lying?" Identity is fun.

[Requiem]

I view honesty as a subset of integrity. Integrity is a larger, more complete term.

Honesty is telling the truth. Integrity is living true to yourself and others.

An honest person may or may not cheat on someone, but would be honest if they did. A person with integrity wouldn't cheat on someone.

-Peace