Okay, I realize that we are all reluctant to compromise vision.
But... let me play psychotherapist here for a sec
.... Some time back in our past, each of us took a picture and showed it to someone and based on that response became enthused in photography. All of us were so emotionally vulnerable at some time in the past that an encouraging or discouraging comment could influence further photographic pursuits.
Now, since those first critiques, which may have been a long time ago (can you even remember them? AA wrote about his), all of us have gotten feedback. That feedback must have influenced the way we learned to see, no? I simply do not believe in reception of ideas from outer space- our photographic vision has been influenced since birth, and the feedback has been continous since then.
An important part of understanding how we see (which is obviously a very individual thing) is to understand the influence of others.... and to isolate that in our thinking and question how it affects how we see.
I did not mean to imply that we do (or should) ask a customer what they want and then produce that. What I am saying is that we did not develop our way of seeing in a vacuum, and resist it though we may, some residual influence must exist....