Years ago I remember reading an enjoyable book which helped people try to understand what type of person they were. For example, idealist, realist, pragmatist, etc. It was a lightweight book mostly written for fun. But it did have some valid points. If you scored as a realist, it offered you the following advice:
You are a realist. You tell the truth. But people don't want to hear the truth; they just want to hear something that's going to make them feel good.
Back in George Washington's time when I went to school, we actually had to write a lot of research papers, theses, etc. We had to do research, question secondary sources, search for and then read and analyze primary sources, and draw our own conclusions. In the process, I began to discover what it was like to think for myself rather than blindly following what others might have said. I don't know how much this kind of thing is still going on in the educational system, but judging from what I see a lot--especially on the Internet--I have to wonder. But a herd mentality seems to be alive and well with no signs of letting up.