Mental programming, aka conditioning, belief and being "set in your ways", affects everyone everywhere. Most of us would never consciously choose to be limited... to limit our options and thoughts and potential. And yet we do, unconsciously, unknowingly, and unintentionally, daily.
We are all running on operating systems installed by our associations, beliefs and assumptions.
The degree to which mental programming constricts your life and creativity is the extent to which you are unaware of its control over you, or, unwilling to change it, as in addictions and addictive behaviors.
There may also be hidden hormonal and physiological imbalances that can condition our persona. These we will touch on at the end of this article, for they are also vitally important to consider.