I received my Ph.D. last week. I don't plant to use the title "Dr." Why is this an issue?

Question

I earned a Ph.D. in a so-called "soft science". Outside of a college/university environment, I think addressing me as "professor" is as unnecessary as a civilian addressing a military person by their armed forced title. I wouldn't mind being addressed as "Dr.", but I prefer to be called by my first name, or "Mrs." or "Ms.". I think "Professor" is appropriate if I'm your college teacher. My mother is having a cow over this. I don't get it. I just prefer to reserve the title "Dr." for physicians. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Wow, I would never refer to a chiropractor as "Dr." No way.

Answer 1

It's your personal preferance but you worked hard to get a Ph.D. and it is correct to call you doctor. In uni usually its only the teacher with a masters that gets called Prof. The ones with Ph.Ds are usually called doctor. But in social situations don't get people to call you doctor. My cousins with Ph.Ds don't get called doctors.

Answer 2

Your mother (like most mother's) is just very proud of your accomplishment, and would like to tell the world that her baby is a dr. When a good friend of mine got her Ph.D. in psychology a few years ago, her father was walking up to strangers on the street and telling them "My daughter is a doctor", much to my friend's embarrassment. If it makes your mother feel better to introduce you as Dr. Jane Doe, let her have her moment, then politely tell the person, I prefer to be called Jane.

When at work though, I think you should go by Dr. Doe rather than Prof. Doe. In a university setting, it has been my experience that Dr. gets more respect then Prof.

Answer 3

No, you are the second person in history who has the humility to stay on a level ground after earning their Ph.D. (Leo Buscaglia)

Congratulations on your hard work and completion. You deserve the chance to work toward a cause that you select, but you do not need to be addressed as Dr., unless you think that the extra school makes you better than everyone else. Since you are a real person who understands the REAL important issues of life, you realize that this title is optional and needless in the real world.

Good for you for standing up and putting the educational snobs in their "little" place. The title is a courtesy to the extra efforts involved in earning that title. It is not required by anyone to address anyone as doctor unless he/she is giving you a bypass. Then you might want to extend the courtesy, at least until the stitches are removed.

Answer 4

I know just what you mean, my mother was the type to use all my titles. When she wrote to me she used to put all my academic titles on the envelope.
Personally I never use them unless in a professional context and only then if they are relevant.
I don't know what country you are in but in America there has been a huge rise in "professional doctorates" something less than a PhD which allows even physiotherapists to call themselves Doctor. This to me devalues the title anyway.
In my private life I'm just plain Mrs or Ms and anyone who thinks that odd has slowly got used to it.
If my mother was still alive though, I'm sure she would stick Dr in front of my name on the envelopes and everything else after.
Why not just let your mother bask in the reflected glory of her daughter the Doctor and be whatever you want the rest of the time?

Answer 5

A friend of my dad's received his PHD in Mathematics and always was mortified when people referred to him as Dr. I think some people do it that are egotists and they go to obnoxious lengths to maker people refer to them as Dr. I think you have a good attitude about your accomplishment and you earned the PHD, not your mother. Tell her Mother I know how proud you are but I feel the title of Doctor is superfluous

Answer 6

No, I think you're right. Using the title 'Doctor . . . ' in everyday life is only for medical doctors and perhaps dentists, and sometimes even chiropractors. If you work in academia, you use your title in school but not in the grocery store or wherever.

Anyway, congratulations!