Beyond Manifest Content: An Extended Integrative Approach for Analysing Relational and Processual Dynamics in Couple Interviews. Methodological Reflections from Transition to Parenthood Research.

Couple interviews have become increasingly prevalent in qualitative research across the social sciences, yet their analytical potential remains underdeveloped. While they generate rich data on relational and processual phenomena, there is significant scope for developing systematic methodological approaches specifically tailored to analyzing the complex interactional data generated through couple interviews. This gap is particularly evident when studying life course transitions—such as the transition to parenthood—which are characterized by relational interdependency, ongoing negotiation, and implicit gendered knowledge, demanding analytical approaches capable of capturing both what couples say and how they interact.

This paper addresses this methodological gap by extending the German Integratives Basisverfahren (iB, integrative foundation procedure)—a multi-level reconstructive approach grounded in Karl Mannheim's sociology of knowledge. The iB employs sequential analysis with systematically shifting analytical perspectives to uncover layers of implicit meaning, making it particularly suitable for capturing the sequential-processual, interactional, and implicit-knowledge dimensions of couple interview data. Its systematic yet flexible methodology enables researchers to move beyond manifest content and engage with phenomena's inherent multidimensionality and relational embeddedness.

A key contribution of this paper lies in extending the iB's interactive level of attention by systematically integrating verbal interactional dynamics (turn-taking, interruptions, pauses) and embodied practices (gestures, affective displays) into the analytical method. This extension enables a more comprehensive reconstruction of couple negotiation processes, revealing how partners co-construct meaning through both explicit statements and implicit relational positioning.

Through a selected case example from research on transitions to parenthood, the paper illustrates this extended integrative approach in practice, demonstrating its capacity for uncovering the subtle dynamics through which couples negotiate relational transitions.

This methodological reflection offers valuable insights for researchers in family, gender, and life course studies, and for all qualitative scholars engaging with relational and processual phenomena, while fostering a practice-oriented understanding of reflexivity in qualitative inquiry.