As I noted in the fourth issue of The Future of Professional Psychology, there are several “third rails” in the field of professional psychology—and more generally in the discipline of psychology. These are areas of psychology that should never be touched. If they are being touched, then it should only be by academicians who are far from the fray of applied, professional psychology.
One of these “rails” is politics. The other is money. Very little has been written about the psychology of money. Professional psychologists are often quite reluctant to talk about the role played by money in their own work. Important questions tend to be ignored or skirted: How does money influence professional decision-making? How does the requested payment for services rendered impact how clients view the professional psychologist as someone who is motivated—even dedicated–to be “helpful”?
This fifth issue of The Future of Professional Psychology focuses on the second of these two third rails. I offer a set of essays regarding both the psychology of Worth and the psychology of Wealth. I am aided in this endeavor by concepts introduced in an emerging behavioral science field. This is the field of behavioral economics. It represents a 21st Century intellectual revolution that involves three disciplines (psychology, economics, and neurobiology). It is as if three tectonic plates were coming together, creating majestic mountains but also disturbing earthquakes. The fields of psychology and economics will never be the same. As a representative of another 21st Century intellectual revolution, neurobiology is contributing major insights to the field of behavioral economics that complement those provided by psychology and economics.
Capital and Worker Values
I begin this issue of The Future of Professional Psychology with an essay that lays the foundation for an exploration of Worth and Wealth. This foundation concerns the fundamental (yet changing) nature of capital and worker values in our mid-21st-century society. Operating in a world of capitalism (or at least neo-capitalism), we are finding ourselves both liberated and hampered by the drive toward the accumulation of capital (be it money, land, prestigious or power). Our Worth is defined in many ways by the accumulation of Wealth. Yet, other forms of capital also inform our sense of personal Worth and our perspective regarding the contribution(s) we are making to our community and the welfare of our society.
We also live in a society that values work done on behalf of the acquisition of Wealth. However, there is much more to the dominant narrative in our times regarding the value(s) accompanying work. The values have to do with not just fundamental security, but also the quality of interpersonal relationships in the work setting, the meaning inherent in the work being done, and the influence one has over the work being done.
Our first essay concerns this matter of capital and worker values as it relates to the functioning of contemporary (postmodern) organizations. I provide an update of a chapter in my 1990s book on The Postmodern Organization (Bergquist, 1993).
