Psycho Illogical

The school psychologist for Lawndale High has only one speaking scene in the whole Daria series, right at the beginning in "Esteemsters." She appears in nonspeaking roles elsewhere and has a couple cameos in the MTV books. It doesn't seem like a lot is known about Mrs. Margaret Manson, but a lot can be surmised about her and her actual role at Lawndale High.

First, she almost certainly doesn't have a doctorate, or else she'd be known as Dr. Manson. (Trust me on this; I've worked in mental health.) She probably has something like a Masters in Counseling Psychology, which is perfectly fine for the work she's doing. Second, she's married, though we know nothing about her husband and children (if any). Third, she looks to be in middle age, I'd guess in her 40s or 50s. Fourth, she doesn't come across as an evil or mean-spirited person, even if she doesn't get along with Daria ("Dora") right off the bat. The book references about her imply she likes her job, though the students drive her a little crazy (inside mental-health joke there, ha ha). In The Daria Database she's shown listening to a weepy Stacy Rowe, or appearing to listen while actually wondering about the day's lunch menu. I think all of us would do exactly the same thing if Stacy were complaining to us.

What isn't so obvious about Mrs. Manson is her real job, which is to serve as a filter for Principal Angela Li's rampant paranoia, which has produced something like a Stalinist police state at the high school. "As you can see, our Lawndale High students take great pride in their school," says Li on Daria's first day at school. "That's why you'll each be taking a small psychological exam to spot any little clouds on the horizon as you sail the student seas of Lawndale High." Students who flunk the psych exam by showing anything other than a shallow, "typical teen" response to the projective test Mrs. Manson administers are sent to a self-esteem class designed to herd them back into "typical teen" thinking, making them less of a perceived threat to Ms. Li's dominance. (What did the other students in the self-esteem class do to earn a place there, did you ever wonder that? Well, Jane is obvious, but I meant the other kids, not her.) Thus, while Mrs. Manson herself is not a bad person, her job reflects the principal's dubious state of mental health as clearly as do the lie-detector machine, the bulletproof skylights, and the bomb-sniffing dogs.

Consider this: How many high school do you know of that employ their own school psychologists? I cannot think of a single one. Mrs. Manson's position is likely unique in Lawndale County. How Ms. Li was able to get it past the local board of education is beyond me, but I suspect Ms. Li is either so highly regarded by Superintendent Cartwright that she can do no wrong in his eyes or else sends kickbacks to the super so he leaves her completely alone. I submit "Fizz Ed" as proof, as she wasn't fired for her Ultra-Cola contract or, worse, for running amok down the halls with an axe.

Mrs. Manson is fascinating despite the little information available about her and her job. There doesn't seem to be a lot of fanfic about her, which is a real shame. She has terrific potential.