Processes and Contents: An Intensive Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Approach for Capturing Everyday Identity Formation

Understanding identity requires capturing not only how strongly individuals endorse aspects of their identity but also what those mean and how they are expressed in everyday contexts. To address this methodological challenge, we introduce an intensive longitudinal mixed-methods design integrating daily quantitative with qualitative identity elements. We illustrate the design within research on civic identity. German adolescents and young adults (N = 135; Mage = 21.23 years) completed an online baseline survey and 14 days of daily assessments. Daily surveys included an open-ended narrative prompt for assessing qualitative elements (e.g., behaviors) and closed items on identity processes to assess quantitative elements (i.e., commitment, exploration, reconsideration). Open-ended daily narratives were deductive–inductively content coded. Bayesian multilevel models examined within- and between-person associations between daily quantitative and qualitative elements. Participants’ civic-identity content was heterogeneous and often centered on discussions or conversations and apolitical behavior. On days with higher commitment or exploration, participants more likely reported identity-relevant experiences as well as more diverse behaviors; reconsideration was unrelated. While the design can be used to examine which contents and behaviors instantiate identity processes in everyday life, it also provides a starting point for redefining domain-specific daily measures by combining qualitative and quantitative assessment.