Brotherhood Under Pressure: Reconceptualizing Scout Identity in Highly Competitive Environments
Keywords:
brotherhood capital, social identity theory, identity leadership, positive youth development, competitive intensity, scouting educationAbstract
Scouting is widely recognized as a nonformal educational system that promotes character development, leadership, citizenship, and social responsibility through shared experiences and collective participation. Despite the central role of brotherhood within scouting traditions, limited theoretical attention has been given to understanding how competitive environments influence the development and preservation of relational bonds among scouts. Existing research has largely focused on individual developmental outcomes while providing less attention to collective relational outcomes and the processes through which collective identity becomes a developmental resource. Addressing this gap, this conceptual article introduces the construct of Brotherhood Capital and reconceptualizes brotherhood as a collective relational asset. Drawing upon Social Identity Theory, Identity Leadership Theory, Positive Youth Development, and relational capital perspectives, the article proposes the Competitive Pressure–Brotherhood Capital Framework. The framework explains how competitive intensity may increase social comparison orientation, contribute to identity fragmentation, and affect the accumulation of Brotherhood Capital, while identity leadership serves as a protective moderating mechanism. The study contributes a novel construct, integrates previously disconnected theoretical perspectives, and offers a foundation for future research on competition, collective identity, and youth development in scouting and other nonformal educational settings.
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