What do you think of the idea that asking questions is a way of asserting power?

I’ve been working with a psychological economist with whom I have been working out some communication issues related to my way of asking questions. In our conversation, today, she told me that asking questions is a way that some people use to assert their power. We didn’t discuss it much more than that, but this is a troubling idea to me.

Let’s assume this is true. How does asking questions help you assert power? How do you respond when people ask you about what you do?

I have always gone under the assumption that people like others to take an interest in them. Most people seem to love it when you ask questions. They seem to be dying to talk about themselves, as if no one else is interested. Yet it seems they can be answering questions avidly and at the same time be resentful and suspicious.