> If a new situation arises, you won't be able to make the same choice as they would.

They won't be able to, but they won't need to either - they can just continue cribbing off the original person, or if they are unable to continue cribbing off the same person, they'll find someone else to crib off.

The point is, for all these people outsourcing their thinking, they will always have someone to crib off.