Obsfucating confusion

Obsfucating confusion is a psychological self-defence mechanism which allows you to lower the guard of hostile individuals into letting them think you're more confused and less aware than you're letting on.

Usage
As an individual, how to be obsfucatingly confused is many and varied, and isn't limited to this list, but it may include suggesting a list of ideas that wildly vary, producing ideas that seem all over the place or mentioning things in confusing seeming terminology.

In-effect, you want to make people think you're confused, disorientated and not entirely sure of what is going on. In terms of TV shows, Columbo was particularly fond of this method, and indirectly, Inspector Gadget.

Effect
Generally, hostile individual's guard behaviour will lower as they will think that you are not near the goal, or if it's been mentioned, unlikely to guess correctly, or even may be seen as manipulatable with false information or red herrings.

It also prevents individuals from figuring out which direction you are heading which means, to them, you seem all over the place, and thus they have little idea as to your actual progress. If done correctly, may turn into a reveal.

Problems
Peers will however feel that you are less reliable, unstable or somewhat idiotic, and if they learn it's part of a ploy, will feel that you are unreliable or untrustworthy, with some taking a somewhat naive approach in assuming you are being exploited or misled by other individuals.

Done too strongly or for too long will give the false impression you are a negative asset and a loss of peer group association may be the end result. Cognitive dissonance may occur if, after acting seemingly confused and unsure, that you are suddenly talking logically with sharp focus and may cause them to misinterpret your actions or freak out.

Counteraction
Countering someone you suspect of being obsfucatingly confused can be difficult, especially if they are experienced, and may require a combination of noting subconscious cues and using bi-logic traps into forcing them to act more competently than they really are. It is however generally a good idea not to let your guard down in the first place.

Be wary of assuming someone is being obsfucatingly confused who may genuinely be confused, and it's generally a good idea to err on the side of caution unless you genuinely suspect otherwise (for example, an engineer who is suddenly acting confused might be obsfucating confusion).

Be aware that various serious medical conditions and mental illnesses do share overlap in symptomology (for example, stroke victims may have a loss of understanding during stroke), and thus it's best to treat any confused individuals with the best of intentions.