For me, the interaction with others (mentorship, studies, critiques, etc...) was always about getting more out of my work. Not finding out what other people thought, per se, of my work. There is a subtle difference but profound in the effect it has on one's output. Essentially, through their agency, you will find out not only what you think of your work, but how to reflect your thinking more clearly in your work.
For instance, if you look at Josef Albers' book Interaction of Color, you'll find that he drives you to determine your own color awareness through research and exercise/experiment. He doesn't impose his (or anyone else's) color sense. You have to develop your own. It is one of the reasons he was so respected at Yale. Now Joe, I know that you work in B&W but the point is clear.
I've only encountered ego-weirdness in the company of small-time photo editors or other forms of gate-keepers who thought that they could do the work themselves, if only they had time. Not everybody is altruistic, just as not everyone is an insecure jerk striving to diminish you in an effort to gain some self-perceived stature. But you do have to choose your mentors carefully.
