Everyone decides to act as though something is true

Influence -- it's why we communicate. The egoic mind thrives on the successful influencing of others. It's how we get what we want, even in seemingly insignificant conversations. The socially egoic identity uses language to influence others to reach a desired outcome. We all do it.

Conversely, we are not as easy to receive new information as we are to give it. We receive any new information with mentally guarded reservation. New information received is carefully filtered through our current status, which includes our belief structure, habits, and values. Newly obtained information either supports and emboldens our current status, or creates a position for us to defend our status. It's much like our immune system. Our body attempts to ward off strange and potentially harmful things to keep a balance. Anytime we have a sickness or illness, it’s a result of some kind of imbalance in our body of systems. 

Anytime the system pushes back or fights against new and strange stimuli, the process is called homeostasis. Our brains attempt to maintain balance with the information received and processed through homeostasis. Homeostasis occurs almost constantly in our brains. The process of homeostasis releases hormones and chemicals to maintain the balance. This occurs all the time for some people, depending upon their life situation and/or profession. So, anytime you are speaking with anyone and felt defensive, that's homeostasis. 

Attorneys, for instance, can be a prime example of the egoic social identity influencing another. Since I have an attorney as a sibling who seems to appreciate meta-cognition (thinking about thinking) I'm comfortable using his profession as an example, although almost all people are attempting to gain influence in some capacity.  

Attorneys spend nearly all their time either defending or supporting a position. Picture in your mind an attorney in a court room addressing the jury. Every juror has unique, independent, and varying life experiences, belief structures, and constructs of thinking. Every juror’s brain will defend each of the above through homeostasis. Groups of neuronal activity form these identities and each are constantly changing, even if ever so slightly. With every sight, smell, and sound, our brains physically change and homeostasis is occurring to create stability.  

The attorney's job is to influence each juror’s brain by fighting through the homeostasis to create new neural pathways that support the attorney’s argument. Two things occur: new neural pathways can form, and two, old neural pathways and groups can weaken and dissolve to leave only traces of the previous existence and its potency. The result can be a new perspective with a new belief and point-of-view. This is the desired outcome of the attorney, or anyone who is compelled to influence another. The attorney who is more successful in establishing more neural activity (alpha waves) connected with their influence will be victorious in the case. An attorney is not only making counterpoints to the opposing attorney, but also the opposition represented in the juror’s mind as homeostasis. 

Almost everyone performs this in everyday life, whether we are making an argument supporting the new coaching situation at UK or something more profound like politics and support for a particular ideology. Those who are in leadership positions influence others regularly. Teachers, but especially ministers and salespeople, have a goal to influence another to gain a desired outcome. In all of us, we wish to have our socially identified ego validated by influencing another that our perspective, ideas, or points-of-view are more correct. We need to be mindful that we are not really the attorney, but only our socially identified ego is the attorney.