Integritás

Integritás is the Hungarian term for integrity, encompassing both the ethical quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, and the idea of wholeness or completeness. The word stems from Latin integritas, meaning whole or undiminished.

In ethical philosophy, integritás denotes a stable alignment between a person’s beliefs, values, and actions. It implies consistency across decisions and conduct, and it supports trust in individuals, professionals, and institutions. The concept is central to many ethical frameworks, including virtue ethics, professional codes, and human rights discussions.

In governance and organizations, integritás refers to practices that promote trust and accountability. This includes avoidance of conflicts of interest, transparent decision-making, accurate reporting, and adherence to laws and standards. Codes of conduct, ethics training, audits, and whistleblower protections are common tools to foster integrity in public and corporate life.

In information technology and data management, integrity describes the accuracy, reliability, and consistency of data over its lifecycle. Technical measures such as checksums, cryptographic hashes, digital signatures, and integrity constraints in databases help detect and prevent corruption or tampering.

Challenges to integritás include cultural variation in moral norms, competing duties, external pressures, and subjective judgments about ethical behavior. Assessing integrity often requires longitudinal observation, independent verification, and a combination of self-reporting and external audits.

See also: personal integrity; data integrity; integrity constraint; ethics in public life; anti-corruption.