During the process of growing into mormonism, social association plays the dominant role backed up with a narrative that may be attractive - living prophet, 12 apostles, restored gospel, B of M, families forever, etc. For those that stay in TSCC, they develop the characteristics of addiction.

Why do addicts persist in their addiction even when they may be aware that it is wrong?

An addict will thrive on the empowerment they can receive. alcoholics or drug addicts when sober may be depressed or have had the stuffing kicked of them in previous years and so have low self worth. They are very afraid of being in a sober state where they are haunted by whatever they wish to escape from and seek empowerment by the means they have become addicted to.

TBMs are addicted. Consider the TBMs with emotional or mental challenges who bear testimony every month that the church is true etc. The "kick of empowerment" that this TBM receives is needed. Giving that testimony is addictive.

As a TBM receives callings, the prestige brings them reason to continue, even though they may be stressed out as a consequence. But when they are presiding, teaching or attending a meeting, or giving a talk, this helps increase their prestige in the ward's social structure. The empowerment they feel from their activity in their calling and their social acceptance is what they are afraid to give up - and so they continue - willingly blind to the real truth.

You cannot reason with an addict, until at a time some of them may start to back away, particularly if they can use their reasoning capability and have alternate social structures to belong to - RFM can be one of those important non LDS social structures. Some partial or former addicts may continue church attendance to remain in a family circle and remain accepted in the ward's social structure.

The most addicted are the GAs. Like a cigarette smoker they know it is wrong and the narrative is malarkey, and they cannot give it up because of the extreme empowerment and social position within TSCC they are deathly afraid to lose.

Wilruff

There is also the phenomenon of "emotional investment." The more of one's life (time, resources, personal energy) they have devoted to any given cause, the less likely they are to abandon it, even if they are exposed to overwhelming objective evidence that the thing is a fraud. It's just part of the human condition.