integrity is defined as the quality or condition of…
Page 61 keyword integrity integrity is defined as the quality or condition of being whole or undivided. People have integrity when no schism or division exists between what they say and what they do, when there is congruence between their words and their actions. No one is perfect. The question therefore isn't whether or not a person has integrity, but the degree to which a person is integrated. Each person iis somewhere on the continuum between being perfectly integrated and perfectly disintegrated. At one extreme of the continuum we have those who do their utmost to be true to their word, who are committed to their commitments. At the other extreme, we find those who perceive the commitments they make as little more than noise coming out of their mouths. Where we are on the continuum determines, to a great extent, the respect that others have for us and, more important, the respect that we have for ourselves. When I follow up on my commitments - to others or to myself - I'm sending others and myself an important message - that my thoughts my words and myself matters. My words are expression of myself, therefore when I honor my words I'm honoring myself. The psychologist Nathaniel Brandon, considered the father of the self-esteem movement, recognizes integrity as one of the essential pillars of self-esteem. Research by Brandon suggests the existence of a self-reinforcing loop between integrity and self-esteem. The more integrity we practice, the more we esteem ourselves. And the more self-esteem we have, the more likely we are to exemplify congruence between our words and our actions.
— from True North (Ethics, Integrity, Truth, Values)