"Think for yourself" is a bit of an abstract term and concept.

What I mean with the term specifically is difficult to describe. Generally, it is about having a good understanding of why you think what you think. It is the opposite of just mimicking/joining; just agreeing to what someone else thinks, says, or does, without serious consideration or full understanding; or simply accepting and agreeing to what someone else thinks, ..., without knowing or understanding even a bit why.

Later I will try and figure out and explain my strange processes, but here is kind of a simplified guide to learn how to think for yourself for normal people.

First write it down. It does not matter how small or whatever, write it down. Then map it out: list your logic to your conclusion. If you have analyzed someone's thoughts and are adopting those as your own, then you do the same in your own words as you remember what you learned. Don't just copy.

Be clear about facts versus belief, supposition, premise, theory, etc.

Then verify all the facts, and gather all of that information as well. Put all the information together, and then prepare as though you are trying to explain what you think to someone who only knows life in a "primitive tribe" in the jungle and has never seen the modern world (ignore communications .

When you have that all together, and you can go through it and do not think there are any flaws, breaks in logic, questionable information or other considerations, then you can work with others to look through that and see if they can find anything needing improvement.

So basically, it's about taking in information, verifying that, and building your own reasoning for your position, even if it is the same as others. Then by understanding why you having a certain opinion, understation, or position, means being able to reference the supporting information and connecting logic, and being able to effectively share that.

Because there is so much mis-information, it is important to carefully control all information for validity and accuracy. This includes from the most trusted and authoritative sources.

Mistakes can be made everywhere, by anybody. Bad information can be slipped into many different places, and passed along without correction. Whatever the cause of bad information, the important thing is to review and verify all information. Doing so in conjunction with others can speed up efforts. This site will be helpful in co-ordinating information and organization of verification efforts.