 |
| Monitor on Psychology Magazine from APA, Sept 2016 Issue; My kind of bedtime stories :) |
The article entitled " The Misuse of Ph.D. (c)" written by Amy Novotney resonates with my current idea about titles. As I have mentioned in my previous article, titles are like accessories that we just put at the end of our names.
Of course, we should be proud of it because we earned it! We strived hard to have those extensions at the end of our names...and they are not just extensions. They are indications of our achievements.
However, my perspective has changed. It does not bother me at all if someone forgot to include one of my titles at the end of my name. In fact, when I facilitated a workshop, I just simply put my nickname with my surname.
What made me change my mind? Oh. I just thought that those titles are just temporary stuff. I am more than those titles and I do not want other people to expect too much with my performance. I do not want to indulge myself with the idea that I am better than anyone or to have an illusion of greatness. I am just afraid that it might get into my system and eventually got all these things into my head. I observed some professionals exercise this idea by putting some titles as an extension albeit they are still currently finishing their degrees. I do understand that they are entitled to put it but it is also important to note that some professionals regard it as a bad idea because of ethics.
Why is it a bad idea to include titles if it is still a candidate? When it comes to ethics, Novotney (2016) pointed out that putting Ph.D. (c) is seen as unethical because these letters can be confused for other degrees. As psychology majors, we must accurately present ourselves to the general public. We should be responsible enough to admit our credentials and competence. Let us put the title at the end of our names if we already completed all the requirements and graduated with our degree.
Besides, not putting these titles will not make us any less, right? In fact, sometimes it is better not to write it down. People will not expect too much from you. Hahaha. It is just my opinion, you know. I hate expectations.
As for me, I will not put some extensions unless it is necessary. My only concern is to share my ideas and not to impress them. I want them to learn and to remember how I made them feel with my performance.
In the end, people will only remember us when we made a difference to their lives.
Of course, we should be proud of it because we earned it! We strived hard to have those extensions at the end of our names...and they are not just extensions. They are indications of our achievements.
However, my perspective has changed. It does not bother me at all if someone forgot to include one of my titles at the end of my name. In fact, when I facilitated a workshop, I just simply put my nickname with my surname.
What made me change my mind? Oh. I just thought that those titles are just temporary stuff. I am more than those titles and I do not want other people to expect too much with my performance. I do not want to indulge myself with the idea that I am better than anyone or to have an illusion of greatness. I am just afraid that it might get into my system and eventually got all these things into my head. I observed some professionals exercise this idea by putting some titles as an extension albeit they are still currently finishing their degrees. I do understand that they are entitled to put it but it is also important to note that some professionals regard it as a bad idea because of ethics.
Why is it a bad idea to include titles if it is still a candidate? When it comes to ethics, Novotney (2016) pointed out that putting Ph.D. (c) is seen as unethical because these letters can be confused for other degrees. As psychology majors, we must accurately present ourselves to the general public. We should be responsible enough to admit our credentials and competence. Let us put the title at the end of our names if we already completed all the requirements and graduated with our degree.
Besides, not putting these titles will not make us any less, right? In fact, sometimes it is better not to write it down. People will not expect too much from you. Hahaha. It is just my opinion, you know. I hate expectations.
As for me, I will not put some extensions unless it is necessary. My only concern is to share my ideas and not to impress them. I want them to learn and to remember how I made them feel with my performance.
In the end, people will only remember us when we made a difference to their lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment