The Value of Integrity (Written for Class)

The Value of Integrity
By: Jesilyn

Abstract

“Integrity” is the most precious of all ethics that an individual can hold. It requires no cash assets, nor does it require a human support system. It’s the only thing no one can take away. However Integrity comes with great responsibilities and its loss depends on those who possess it. The following document will disclose the author’s personal opinion about the value of integrity and what integrity means to her, along with how she feels the APA Code of Ethics relates to her own.
The Value of Integrity

The heart and soul of every individual circles around a set of values. As a pagan, I attempt to live in tuned with the natural world and believe in the power of natural consequences. Although this system sounds simplistic, it can create some very complex issues due to the extreme expectations that surround it. For that reason, I believe “Integrity” is the most precious of all ethics that an individual can hold and value my integrity above everything else in life. It’s my belief that integrity is the base of all other values and that no other worldly possession holds any comparison to integrity because it’s the only thing that no one can ever take away. Integrity requires no cash assets, nor does it require a human support system. It relies only on the individual who possesses it and their ability to maintain its standards. Basically the only way to lose one’s integrity is by dishonoring one’s self. Of course, doing such could lead to a lifetime of emotional hardship and regret therefore it’s not recommended. This is why I believe it is important that I always allow myself to consider the over all effects of my actions and the impact that they will have on those involved.
Accepting personal responsibility for my own actions requires me to represent myself in a trustworthy manner. This means saying what I mean and doing what I say. Another way of saying that is to say that I strive to “keep my word.” You see I’m the type of person who only says they will do a task if I envision that the outcome will be successful. I’m not saying that there haven’t been times when I’ve been forced to break a promise. After all, I’m only human. However, those times have been few and far between because I do everything I can to do to eliminate any internal elements that would cause things to dysfunction. In externally controlled situations where commitments have been broken, I am prompt to offer an explanation, an apology, and a suggestion in hope that I will make up for my inability to follow through with my previous commitment. This brings me to another part of what I believe integrity means and that is communication.
When engaging in any form of communication I believe integrity is a very strong asset. Not only does integrity include the “giving of one’s word” it also includes how one speaks to or about those they come in contact with. It doesn’t matter if the person is a family member, a friend, an associate, or a stranger. What matters is weather the person speaks ill of others, is dishonest or stretches the truth. This of course includes repeating unverified information that has been gathered from sources that you yourself do not whole heartily trust. I like to think of it this way. My goal in life is to be known for helping others. I’m not exactly a wealthy individual therefore my greatest asset is information. How I communicate with others, what I do with my information, and my choice of resources will determine how effective I am in achieving this goal. Therefore, I must seek the most accurate information through respectable sources and hold myself accountable while admitting my faults along the way. Of course this also requires me to relinquish my control should I find myself beyond my own jurisdictions. Please understand, I would rather lead a person to someone that can help them then have them continue to suffer due to my own foolish pride. Of course there is another side to this scenario. This shows it’s self when a person stands up for something they believe in no matter the repercussions they may face.
Most of us have been in such situations where we’ve had to ask ourselves, “Do I follow the crowd or do I stand up for what I believe in?” For me, the answer is easy. I must do what I know in my heart is the right thing to do, even if that means that I find myself in a less favorable predicament. For example, Many times I’ve disputed the term “Nigga”. To me that word is derogatory and is no different than the word “Nigger”. Therefore I take steps towards stopping its use along with any type of behavior that is discriminating. Discrimination is not a sign of integrity, neither is abuse of power. When those who are less fortunate need help it is up to others to assist. Personally, I believe that what comes around goes around so to turn away is to sign your own future. It’s my opinion that everyone should hold a strong sense of responsibility toward the well being of others no matter who they are, or weather they know or not. That brings me to the last part of what integrity means to me; the part that society don’t see.
Integrity can be an invisible entity. Just because society doesn’t always see my actions doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m in the clear to embark on activities that are less ethical. As far as I’m concerned, it’s these times that mean the most in life. It’s these times that I feel a person can do some of the smallest yet most meaningful things; negative and positive. For example, have you ever driven down the road, looked around to see who’s looking, and then tossed trash out the window? Have you ever taken a small item such as a pen, or a lighter from a friend or a store after using it? Have you ever thought negative (discrimination) thoughts and decided it didn’t matter because no one knew except you? These small unpublicized events can be considered violations of integrity. Of course the police aren’t going to come banging on your door to cart you off to jail over offenses they know nothing about but your conscious knows exactly what you’ve done and in my case, it could eat at me for months, days or years. On a more positive note examples include walking through a grave yard and picking up a broken stone or wind blown flowers or placing hours and hours of hard work into a task knowing you’ll never receive credit for your work but that it will provide someone happiness? These types of decisions are all integrity based and believe it or not hold their own rewards.

Conclusion
The above are just some of the more simplistic issues that revolve around my personal life and my value of integrity. However, I live within a world where justice is governed by man made laws, subjected to interpretation, and then judged through ethnocentric eyes. This makes my life more difficult as I try to blend my own integrity with that of my future role as a prison psychologist. In my career I will face many ethical issues and after an evaluation of the APA Code of Ethics, I know that my own code is extremely similar. However, I find myself distressed due to the limitations that I know are placed on the other professionals in the field I plan to enter. From what I can tell, there is absolutely no way that a psychologist can actually follow the code they are dedicated to at least not to the fullest. For instance, the APA code of ethics says:
“Psychologists are aware of and respect cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status and consider these factors when working with members of such groups. Psychologists try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or condone activities of others based upon such prejudices.”

With that said, I happen to know first hand (past research) that Washington State prisons do not recognize Paganism and therefore they do not work with pagan clients on issues that are religion based. This to me is religious discrimination and it isn’t the only area that I feel that inmates are caused undue emotional distress. In my opinion, any psychologist that engages in a practice that defeats the purpose of treatment or causes harm is in violation of the APA code. I would be unable follow such orders. Matter a fact; I would also be apt to fight on the behalf of my client in order to change the system even if that meant losing my job.

References
Ethics. (2002). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
Retrieved on Jan 20, 2007 From American Psychological Association Website: http://www.apa.org/ethics/