Here are some of my thoughts on getting drawn into the Jones debacle:
The Jonestown massacre was another horrific event of my generation where many remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when the news began breaking. I was living in the world back then but even I had known nothing good was going to come from Jones. Prior to the massacre many of us thought Jones was a poster child for belief in demon possession.
Power and control is the name of that human game. To paraphrase Lord Acton – Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I think those who have been injured by the adults they should have been able to trust , especially in their early childhood years, are more likely to become control freaks themselves because their worlds were always SO out of control and they were powerless. Some learn to manipulate in order to survive.
When they’re adults it’s time to deny the inner fear, turn the tables and never be victimized again. Obviously some folks take that to the extremes of victimizing others.
Jones actively sought out the weak, afflicted and lonely under the guise of Christian compassion; who could be easier to influence? He groomed his followers as any sexual predator grooms his prey and then uses their secrets – real or contrived – to hold them captive to his will.
God created us to be relational so we search for, long for, fulfillment of that need. Jones knew that. If he even marginally met those needs loyalty and trust could be built pretty quickly – “the man’s a saint!” Then when he valued someone enough to pick them to “help” him help someone else … they became validated – what an ego feed.
Now in addition to probable secret knowledge keeping them in the group – they OWE him. Once they trust him he begins the deconstruction process - they can’t trust their own judgments or perceptions and still have the approval of the Jones or the core group
So they ignore the warning signs and wake up one day wondering how things got so crazy. They had just wanted love and acceptance and to be a part of something bigger than they believed they could be on their own. Some are so brainwashed from the lifestyle and counterfeit “miracles” their hardened hearts would no longer recover.
Whether it’s Jones or one of many others that have been or will become, my opinion is it’s a testament to why we must take responsibility for praying and for studying the Word. Why we shouldn’t assume someone who sounds like they have some authority, even if they do have a doctorate of divinity, has all the
right answers without testing for ourselves as the Bereans were commended for doing. Even an excellent leader is not going to be Jesus Christ. I think we need to be respectful and kind whenever possible (after all we are also imperfect), but be sure our faith is placed in God, not transferred to a human leader.
Interesting questions. What tactics are typically used...
For many, the initial draw is the sense of labeling the hypocrisy and less than Christ like behaviors and attitudes one can find in any church or group of believers. The problem is, and what is lacking, is understanding and knowing the Scriptures well enough to know that these things are going to happen. We were warned Scripturally. There are always going to be those who pay lip service rather than heart service, those who are carnal versus those who walk in the Spirit and so on. The tactic is the proclamation that you don't want to be like "those" hypocrits, pagans, dead christians, etc. 
It's God's work ... 
