> I know who are financially well-off but completely fall apart when there is no visible professional hierarchy to give them meaning.

This reminds me of white people in the American south that didn't personally own slaves, but fought in the civil war anyway to maintain their place in the social hierarchy https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/67fvaf/comme...

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/f9j6hg/why_d...

And that hasn't changed at all:

“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”

― Lyndon B. Johnson