Ethics

Integrity

Also: personal integrity, integrity in public life

Definition

The quality of being consistently guided by sound moral principles, so that one's values, words and actions match, in private and in public, even when no one is watching and when it is costly to do so.

Deep-dive lesson: Probity, Codes of Ethics and Codes of Conduct. This page is a quick reference that connects the term across subjects; read the lesson for the full treatment.

Summary card: Integrity. Root: Latin "integer", meaning whole or undivided. One of the seven Nolan principles of public life. GS4 syllabus: integrity listed among foundational values for civil service. Dimensions: personal, professional, intellectual, institutional. Opposite: hypocrisy, corruption, moral compartmentalisation — Summary card © UPSCPrep.in

Background and evolution

The word integrity comes from the Latin "integer", meaning whole, the same root as the mathematical integer. A person of integrity is "all of a piece": their beliefs, statements and conduct form a coherent whole, rather than shifting with circumstances or audience. Philosophers have long linked this to character. Aristotle's virtue ethics sees good character as stable dispositions developed through practice; Kant emphasises acting on principles one could will to be universal laws; Indian traditions speak of satya (truthfulness) and the harmony of mana, vachana and karma, thought, word and deed.

In public administration, integrity took on an institutional meaning in the twentieth century as states built professional bureaucracies that were supposed to serve the public impartially. Scandals in many countries led to codes of conduct, anti-corruption agencies and integrity frameworks. The UK's Committee on Standards in Public Life, chaired by Lord Nolan, listed integrity among the seven principles of public life in 1995, defining it as not placing oneself under obligations to outsiders that might influence official work. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission in India also stressed integrity as a core civil service value.

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Last reviewed: 23 October 2026 · Original UPSCPrep.in content.