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.
