vienne: "But it may be that she was once convinced and does not want to face the possibility of error."
I agree with your assessment. The woman I spoke of, had become a JW after a study with another older woman, and that likely was the first intellectual effort in her life. I doubt that school would have provided her with any skills, outside of reading and writing. She was a similar age to my own parents, and my own parents had had only 5/6 years of school. My father learned (himsself) basic surveying skills which he needed in his govt. job, my mother became a seamstress and both had productive lives. I'm sure that the Jw woman I posted about also had a productive life, but (like my parents) her education would not have prepared her for analysing arguments.
So having met some other nice jw ladies, and perhaps finding a social circle for the first time in her life, she became disturbed when challenged to 'prove' something.
I saw a similar situation when pioneering. In this small country town in NSW to which the Branch (with divine wisdom) assigned me, there was a small congregation. One sister had had a tragedy in her life. Some years after her husband had left her and their only son, the boy had an accident and required a blood transfusion. Others supported her in refusing the transfusion (as no doubt I would've done had I been there in her crisis). The boy died and this woman lapsed into depression, eventually choosing to end her life. A very sad story, and I should say that no-one in that small congregation was equipped to help her. In talking to her, I realised that she had no thinking skills, and had made her decision to refuse the transfusion simply on 'faith.' And, I guess her eventual suicide was also predictable. I was about 22 y.o and had no training that may have helped, nor, I venture to say, would any person in J's 'amazing' organisation have the training necessary to return that woman to mental health.