i know what you are saying, your point semantically makes sense, and that wording is confusing and hanging you up. Independent thinking of the participant, *where they trust their own eyes rather than blindly following the herd*, is enoucraged & increases statistically when the wall of conformity is broken by other members of the herd that act like role models. It's not that the participant follows another sheep, but feels empowered to break conformity & folllow their own path, instead of being a blind follower. Imagine it saying, having an ally support you ____ in thinking for yourself. Watching someone escape & following them out of Platos cave doesn't mean you are now in their cave, following them. Breaking conformity, not conforming to an ally.