B737 LNDG PHX EXPERIENCED POSSIBLE ALTDEV AND TCAS RA DURING TURN TO FINAL.

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NOT SURE IF THERE WAS A DEV OR IF CTLR CONFUSED CALL SIGNS. INBOUND TO PHX FROM N ON STAR. WERE TOLD TO DSND TO 6000 FT BY APCH. PASSING 7500 FT; APCH SAID VERBIAGE AS REMEMBERED 'COMPANY X STOP YOUR DSCNT AT 8000 FT.' I CALLED BACK 'COMPANY X; WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO; WE ARE ALREADY PASSING 7500 FT.' CTLR CAME BACK WITH; 'COMPANY X; THAT WAS FOR ANOTHER ACFT.' THE CAPT AND I HAD A SHORT DISCUSSION IN THE COCKPIT CONFIRMING WE HAD BOTH HEARD THE SAME DIRECTIONS. I ASKED THE CTLR WHAT ALT HE/SHE WANTED US TO GO TO. CTLR TOLD US 7000 FT AND GAVE US A NEW FREQ. I ASKED IF THERE WAS A PROB; ASKING FOR THE TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR PHX APCH; AND ASKED IF WE SHOULD CALL. CTLR SAID THERE WAS NO PROB; SAID TO CALL TWR ON THE GND IF WE WANTED TO; AND GAVE US A FREQ CHANGE. THE NEXT CTLR CONTINUED VECTORING FOR ARR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: I AM UNABLE TO COME UP WITH CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS REGARDING THE COCKPIT CREW BASED ON WHAT WE THOUGHT WE HEARD. PHX APCH; HOWEVER; DUE TO ATTITUDE OR PHILOSOPHY IN CTLING AIRSPACE; IS ANOTHER STORY. WHETHER THERE IS A DISTRUST OF PLTS OR A DESIRE TO EXERT ABSOLUTE CTL OVER AIRSPACE; PHX IS OFTEN OVERLOADING THEIR OWN APPLE CARTS; CAUSING APPLES TO FALL OUT. LATER ON THE SAME APCH; THE SECOND CTLR VECTORED US (VMC) ALL THE WAY ONTO FINAL RWY 8 WITH ANOTHER ACFT ON ADJACENT APCH TO RWY 7R (FORMATION JOIN-UP). THE CTLR OVERSHOT FINAL CAUSING A TCAS RA. THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED HAD WE BEEN GIVEN A VISUAL APCH FARTHER OUT. BY BEING DIRECTED TO EXERT FULL CTL OF ALL DIMENSIONS OF THEIR AIRSPACE; PHX CTLRS BECOME MENTALLY TASK SATURATED; CAUSE FRUSTRATION IN THE PLTS; AND CREATE DELAYS IN THE AIRSPACE SYS. THERE IS NO TEAMWORK BTWN THE CTLRS AND PLTS. CTLRS HAVE LITTLE TIME AND ABILITY TO OBSERVE AND MAKE CORRECTIONS TO BAD SITS DEVELOPING; BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO BUSY FLYING OUR PLANES. RECOMMENDATIONS: A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE AT PHX TRACON TO ALLOW PLTS AS MUCH AUTONOMY IN FLYING THE APCHS; AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS WILL ALLOW CTLRS THE ABILITY TO DO MORE OBSERVING AND LESS CTLING; ENHANCING SAFETY AND FLOW. SEND PHX CTLRS TO OBSERVE LAX OR BWI OPS TO SEE HOW EFFICIENT AND SAFE FLOW CAN BE AFFECTED BY WORKING AS A TEAM WITH THE PLTS. RECOMMEND INDIVIDUAL CTLRS AS WELL AS PHX TRACON LEADERSHIP INVOLVED IN CREATING A SAFER MORE EFFICIENT AIRSPACE. LEADERSHIP ISSUES? I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE LEADERSHIP SIT IS AT PHX. MAYBE BWI; LAX; CTLRS OR SOME OTHER AGENCY COULD ASSIST PHX IN RELOOKING AT THE WAY THEY DO BUSINESS AND HELP CREATE A SAFER AND MORE EFFICIENT AIR TFC CTL SIT. I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW ALL THE IN'S AND OUT'S OF WHAT GOES ON AT PHX. I ONLY KNOW WHAT I SEE FROM MY MYOPIC PLT PERSPECTIVE AND IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD.