I think this is very true. Personal conflicts and difficulties that are sometimes poo-pooed (I like big words) or wrongly handled by elders can be the spark to jump start a persons critical thinking ability. Sometimes people just get fed up with all the internal gossip.
Also, as another poster mentioned about questioning...you can do it until you get baptized then it is verboten! My Ex used to ask me why I never got baptized even though I was born and raised in it and I would tell her that PART of the reason is I did not want to give up my right to question. She would tell me to get all of my questions answered...as if I would never have any questions once I got baptized. BUT I still felt they were more True than the other guys so I was still controlled and believed the majority of what they said.
The only thing that really broke their grip on me was the way the elders handled our troubled marriage and the "answers" I got from Brooklyn when I wrote them for help. It also opened my 50-year member parents eyes.
-BONEZZ