Do idiographic networks truly grasp the dynamic and complex nature of personality?

Idiographic networks are becoming increasingly popular for modeling individual differences. This study evaluates the degree to which idiographic network analyses grasp the theorized dynamism and complexity of personality. Inpatients with a mild intellectual disability and behavioral problems (N = 26; Mage=23) completed 60 daily personality-related self-reports. Idiographic network analyses revealed high between-person heterogeneity in network structures at the group- and subgroup-level. Autocorrelation functions evidenced interactions across multiple timescales at the n=1 level. When repeatedly estimating idiographic networks in a sliding 30-day window, the structures continuously changed throughout the 60-day timeline. Non-stationarity and interactions across multiple timescales imply that idiographic networks are static aggregates that conceal richer dynamics and complexity. Implications for the network theory of individual differences are discussed.