I Like to Philosophize

The "self" is a very fragile and maluable thing, but there are certain points in every self that are almost immovable once set in place for long enough.

We see this in fundamentalists who attack the ideology of another rather than think critically of both sides.
A mechanism being the protection of the emotional well-being of the "self" persona by destroying symbols of what opposes the value structure that gives creedence to it's existence.
Thus why people are willing to kill over an idea, as to face the possible fallacy of the building blocks that make up the basis of their reality would be like death.

The mask would be broken, then there is just their being without a constructed self to function or navigate through the world. The support for determining meaning and perceiving the world would be nulified and the mind would go into panic and anxiety.
So we see increasing ideological tribalism and identitarianism, even more so with the vast scale of instant sharing of information.

To be an individual might be only possible to a small extent due to our ideas and values being a collection of those before us and what is presented and valued in the present, but it's the only real freedom one can have if it is at all possible outside of just being a variation of a collection of ideas.

The only way may be through critical thought in all areas, almost to nihilism, and this is the most distressing and uncomfortable place a self can find itself in. But then to be a "true" individual would be to become a brick wall to all external influence which is impossible. But a person could still be as much as an individual as they possibly can, and that it something which should be pursued.

my head hurts