Would you say that rain doesn't make the ground wet? Of course not, yet, you are claiming something similar in denying that thoughts are us. Every thought we have affects us AND contributes to who we are. A single thought has no great affect just as a single rain drop has no great effect, but it is denying reality to deny that thoughts make us who we are.

You reply, " it is how the individual chooses to respond to his/her thoughts that has a more determinative affect on their being." Yes, and what are choices? Thoughts, of course. Our free will thoughts, which lead to free will choices, make us who we are. We are the sum total of our experiences and thoughts about those experiences. To deny that is to deny free will and ourselves. Such a horrible thought!