In recent months, Jordan has found itself at the heart of unprecedented regional challenges, such as the war in Gaza and the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as domestic economic and security pressures. Amid these complexities, societal divisions have resurfaced, highlighting deep-rooted disagreements around national identity and political belonging.

 

This crisis is not purely political in nature, it is behavioral in its roots. According to Social Learning Theory, developed by psychologist Albert Bandura in the 1970s, national belonging is not instinctual but acquired. It is shaped by shared experiences, environmental context, and the modeling of behavior from family and peers. Similarly, Social Identity Theory, introduced by social psychologists Henri Tajfel and John Turner in the early 1980s, posits that individuals derive self-worth, security, and strength from belonging to larger social groups, whether national, religious, or ethnic. From this lens, citizenship is not just a legal status, but a behaviorally-driven orientation toward a shared identity and collective narrative.

 

However, when citizens feel a disconnect between their daily reality and the official national narrative, they are affected by what is known as the “relatability gap.” This gap pushes people toward sub-identities that distance themselves from the mainstream and erode trust in other groups, sometimes leading to political polarization and a weakened sense of national identity.

 

In the Jordanian context, this gap becomes especially apparent during crises, such as the divided opinions over the Israeli-Iranian conflict. While many Jordanians are united in their rejection of Israeli policies, views differ sharply on developments in Iran and the potential impact on national security. These divisions often escalate into polarization, mutual suspicion, and calls for exclusion.

 

Since the root of the problem is behavioral, the solution must also have a behavioral angle, by reviving a unified national narrative that genuinely reflects the participation of all segments and origins of Jordanian society. This requires a deliberate process that takes into account how identity, emotion, and belonging are formed. One useful concept from behavioral science here is “behavioral scaffolding”; the idea that values and narratives are most effectively built through small, emotionally resonant steps, anchored in meaningful, logically sequenced experiences and events.

 

In this context, the recent historic achievement of the national football team qualifying for the World Cup for the first time serves as a powerful starting point for reviving a unifying national narrative. Jordanians, regardless of origin or political orientation, were united in a single moment of pride and triumph, feeling part of one national story. Such an emotionally charged moment can be leveraged through wide-reaching national campaigns led by the players themselves framing the victory as a testament to Jordan’s diversity, unity, and resilience. Building on behavioral science concept of “the messenger effect”, there is no better model for the national identity story than the national football team itself, a mosaic of diverse backgrounds, overcoming all forms of challenge and limitation, and establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with on the international stage, just as Jordan has done time and again.

 

These campaigns should be followed by inclusive cultural, artistic, and athletic programs that allow young Jordanians from all regions to meet and interact, discover shared values, and foster mutual understanding. A single shared event between youth from Karak and Baqaa may generate more lasting connection and relatability than a single political speech.

 

Reviving and reinvigorating the unifying national narrative is a long-term commitment and process that requires sustained effort, and leveraging the significance of the recent sports achievement is only the first step. This narrative must be effectively integrated into education, media, arts, and cultural and sporting activities, ensuring representation for all segments of society. Only in this way can we build trust and reinforce the message that Jordan was founded to be a safe homeland for all who belong to it, regardless of origin or belief.

 

One of the most influential theories in behavioral science is Daniel Kahneman’s “dual-self” theory, developed in the 1990s. It suggests that we each possess two selves: the experiencing self, which lives the present, and the remembering self, which stores memories and constructs identity from them. Patriotism works the same way. Jordan is not defined solely by present-day events and hardships, but is also the ongoing passion for a shared past and a rich archive of childhood memories with loved ones who now rest beneath the ground we walk on. At its core, patriotism is built on memory, and what we write today in our national narrative will create the memories, and thus the patriotism and belonging, of the next generations.