Reply to How are kids supposed to address professors? Dr., Professor, first name? Daughter got rude reaction

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[quote=Anonymous]Honestly, the respect really lies in the acknowledgement that it is the professor's choice whether to make the interaction informal. It's not properly the student's choice to move to a first name basis.

You can have collegial and professional relationships on a first name basis -- obviously so among peers, although even among peers, in some contexts, the culture is to remain formal. In other contexts, there is often a reason for formality.

For instance, with physicians, there is already a breech of standard social contracts. Your doctor may see you naked, or touch you in places only an intimate lover would. Your doctor may ask you things so personal you literally never have spoken about them to anyone else in your life. Sometimes maintaining that nod to formality keeps the emphasis on the structure of the relationship, that it is  a professional one, and not personal.

Professors may have different reasons for maintaining formality. When you are explicitly required to pass judgment on others as part of your job, it can be good to maintain clear and distinct boundaries: no gifts, no getting drunk with your students, no inappropriate late night meetings. For some, the clarity of formality aids that boundary.

And individuals can choose to make exceptions, or be exceptions. Of course. But expecting formality [I]until specified otherwise[/I] doesn't necessarily mean you expect servitude or that you suffer from egregious self-importance. It doesn't necessarily mean that at all.

And note that jackasses can be jackasses on a first-name basis, too.[/quote]

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