Pecking Order
This being the case, then those who hold a doctorate in some professional can be expected to rank fairly high in the pecking order. However, those doing the “soft” work of helping to heal or at least improve the thinking and feelings of other people can’t compete for status with those who do the “hard” work of healing the physical body of other people. The M.D. is ranked higher than the Ph.D. psychologist, who, in turn, is ranked higher than the Psy.D. psychologist. Those with either of these doctorates will rank higher than clinical social workers or others without doctorates who work in the field of mental health. In general, I would propose that psychologists with doctorates run neck-and-neck with the nontraditional providers of medical services (such as osteopathic and chiropractic practitioners).
Those with doctorates who operate outside the mental health field hold a very confusing and often tenuous rank in the social hierarchy of the United States. First, those doing organizational consulting or coaching are involved in work that many people don’t really understand or appreciate. Someone with an MBA will often be accorded greater respect than someone hanging around an organization with a doctorate in organizational behavior. A life coach will take a back seat to a “real” career counsellor. Someone advising about health issues will readily be replaced by a knowledgeable nurse. This social status stuff is very consuming and ever-changing. However, it is important and opens the way once again for someone with a doctorate remaining firmly in place somewhere in the upper third of the rankings.
Degrees and Human Services
With all of this confusion, there are several more general criteria that determine social status in the United States. Status is relatively high when someone has an advanced degree—and when they are NOT doing manual labor. Regardless of the public recognition given to the “blue collar” workers (including the commemoration of “Labor Day”) the blue ribbon is still given to “white collar” work—and the human services are considered “white collar” jobs. So are the jobs being done by those with doctorates who teach, consult or administer human service agencies.
On the other hand, the status for those doing human services is not terribly high because, as I have noted, these people are providing “soft” treatments. It is not clear how “treatment” has an impact (especially short-term). It is also unclear how “helpful” the teaching of psychology (or related fields such as sociology and anthropology). Does the understanding of human behavior actually help us solve tough economic and political issues? Don’t we need plumbers and home builders more than we need shrinks and societal critics?
Three Images
There is another source of status that can be quite volatile when it comes to those engaged in human services. Status can be threatened or elevated given the reactions of people to the seeming capacity of psychologists and other human service providers to “see” into another person’s “psyche” or “soul.” While this assumption has no basis in reality, it can produce a fear response that dictates how someone views this human service provider.
