MIRA: Measuring Identity and Reflected Appraisals
MIRA is the core of VRP Diagnostics—a scientifically grounded tool built to measure the actual thing violence-reduction programs are trying to achieve: participant identity transformation.
Designed for violence-prevention and supervision work, MIRA reveals how participants' self-perceptions shift over time.
It’s a diagnostic mirror that helps stakeholders understand how positive change actually happens.
Why Identity Matters
Lasting change doesn’t start with behavior. It starts with identity, how people see themselves in the world.
Most traditional metrics focus on indirect outcomes like attendance or program completion. But those snapshots miss the internal shifts that drive long-term transformation.
MIRA helps surface those deeper changes so programs can see when they are causing meaningful change even before it shows up in external data.
Built on Science. Refined Through Practice.
MIRA is rooted in well-established social science: Symbolic Interactionism, Identity Theory, and Semantic Differential methodology. These frameworks explain how identity forms and shifts through social interaction, and how those shifts influence behavior.
Informed by these concepts, we have built a practical tool that’s both scientifically rigorous and operational in the field. It doesn’t try to predict behavior or judge outcomes; it reveals patterns of internal change that help explain what’s working, for whom, and why.
How MIRA Measures Change
MIRA uses a series of contrasting adjective pairs (e.g., Explosive ↔ Patient) rated on a 7-point scale. These adjectives are associated with the identity traits that, when prominent, correspond to violent behavior.
The tool is designed for both intake and longitudinal use, providing a clear measure of how participants perceive themselves at the beginning of a program and how that self-concept evolves as a result of supervision or programming.
Built for adaptability, MIRA can be customized to reflect the cultural and linguistic context of any population, ensuring accuracy across diverse communities and geographies.
MIRA Measures the Prominence of Seven Identity Traits:
Dominant – tendency to assert control or influence over others
Impulsive – difficulty delaying reactions or resisting urges
Paranoid – suspicious or mistrustful of others
Committed – deeply invested and loyal to a group
Fatalistic – believing that planning is futile
Rebellious – resisting authority, rules, or societal norms
Mean – reflexively cruel, threatening, or dangerous
The result is a repeatable, scalable survey instrument that gives programs and stakeholders a way to track meaningful internal change.
Built for Real-World Use
We designed MIRA with real program constraints and diverse stakeholder needs in mind. It’s easy to administer by text, email, or in-person. It integrates seamlessly into existing workflows. Whether used by community-based organizations, system partners, or researchers, MIRA provides a shared language for understanding transformation.
Because it measures identity—not program-specific activities—MIRA creates a common metric that applies across program models, populations, and timelines. It's a metric that's validated and tied directly to the identity traits associated with violent behavior.
From Diagnosis to Strength
Ending violence means doing more of what works—and strengthening systems to support it. MIRA reveals what's working to transform violent identities and how internal change drives external outcomes, giving programs, funders, and policymakers the insight to improve, sustain, and scale those efforts.
(Community-based violence intervention, re-entry, and other support programs).
(Diversion, Parole, Probation, Pretrial Services, Assessment Centers).
Transform Lives with the MIRA Tool
Experience the power of MIRA in measuring identity transformation and driving community change.