High Crimes & Propaganda

Listening to the AudioBook of "The Secret" and thinking and wondering about brainwashing and "creating one's own reality"

I wonder, does one have to be brainwashed to some extent at least to function in this society or on this planet, or in this dimension? Is brainwashing really just a form of “focus” or “staying on task” that can become too much or too little of a good thing? How does one get the balance just right or is this even conceptually possible?