 Taylor explains the neurological basis for reasoning and cognition in the brain , and proposes that the self is changeable while describing the physiology of neurological pathways . She utilizes case studies including Patty Hearst , the Manson Family , and the mass murder / suicide of members of Peoples Temple at Jonestown , and compares the techniques of influence used by cults to those of totalitarian and communist societies . She lays out a model FACET - Freedom , Agency , Complexity , Ends @-@ not @-@ means , and Thinking - which she believes can be used to negate the influence of brainwashing techniques . 
