EXAMPLE ASSIGNMENT- PARTIALLY COMPLETED
Literature Review
Name: Heather Burke
Student ID: 10086346
Date: October 6, 2025
Class: PSYC2001D
Outlining Your Research Goal
What are the two psychological constructs (i.e., variables) you are interested in studying?
You should focus on exactly two constructs that you want to examine in relation to one another
(e.g., psychopathy and violence). Clearly name each construct.
1. Self-compassion
2. Mental health
What is your theory? Write a clear and concise statement (1–3 sentences) that explains how
your two constructs are related. Your theory should describe a general principle about the
relationship between these variables. Make sure it is testable and focused on explaining (not just
predicting) the connection between them.
Correct Example (A Proper Theory):
Self-compassion improves mental health by moderating the relationship between psychological
stressors and emotional outcomes. Individuals who are high in self-compassion are more likely
to engage in adaptive coping strategies (such as emotional regulation and problem-solving)
rather than maladaptive strategies (such as avoidance and rumination), which reduces the
negative impact of stress on mental health outcomes like anxiety and depression.
Incorrect Example (Hypothesis Posing as a Theory):
People who have high self-compassion experience lower depression after being exposed to
stressful situations.
Why This Is Not a Good Theory Statement:
• It's a prediction about specific outcomes—this is a hypothesis, not a theory.
• It uses concrete phrasing (“people who have…”) rather than discussing general principles
or mechanisms.
• It doesn’t explain how or why the relationship works (e.g., through coping strategies,
emotional regulation, etc.).
• It's not abstract or general enough to serve as a framework for understanding a broader
phenomenon.
Search Log
Search
Number Search Goal Source Search Strategy Results and Comments
1 Find a seminal, PsycINFO "self-compassion" AND The search returned 92 results. An article by Neff
peer-reviewed ("mental health" OR (2003) titled “The development and validation of a
primary source depression OR anxiety) scale to measure self-compassion” was among the
that introduced or top results, with over 10,000 citations. It is a
significantly • Filters applied: peer- foundational, primary source that introduced the
advanced the reviewed journal Self-Compassion Scale and established a strong
concept of self- articles, English link between self-compassion and emotional
compassion in language, no date health.
relation to mental restrictions (to
health. capture seminal Using Boolean operators helped narrow the focus
work). effectively while still capturing a variety of related
• Results sorted by mental health outcomes. One limitation was that
relevance and some articles focused more on mindfulness or
citation count. general well-being rather than mental health
specifically, so I had to check abstracts carefully.
This search strategy was effective, and I plan to
reuse this Boolean format in future searches, but I
may add terms like “coping” or “resilience” to
capture a broader range of emotional outcomes.
2
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5
6
7
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15
Annotated Bibliography
ENTRY 1
Type of Source: Secondary source (systematic review)
APA 7 Reference:
Crego, A., Yela, J. R., Riesco-Matías, P., Gómez-Martínez, M.-Á., & Vicente-Arruebarrena, A.
(2022). The benefits of self-compassion in mental health professionals: A systematic
review of empirical research. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 15,
2599–2620. [Link]
Annotation (150 words maximum):
This systematic review by Crego et al. (2022) examines how self-compassion affects mental
health professionals’ well-being, burnout, and emotional resilience. The authors analyze findings
from multiple empirical studies and consistently find that self-compassion is positively
associated with reduced burnout and greater job satisfaction. Their review highlights how self-
compassion not only benefits individual practitioners but may also enhance the quality of care
provided to clients. This article is highly relevant to my topic, as it emphasizes the role of self-
compassion in supporting the mental health of those who provide care. It also broadens the lens
from client outcomes to include practitioner well-being, suggesting that fostering self-
compassion among professionals could indirectly benefit the therapeutic process. The review
supports the idea that improving emotional regulation and reducing occupational stress through
self-compassion can have far-reaching effects in mental health settings.
ENTRY 2
RY 1
Type of Source:
APA 7 Reference:
Annotation (150 words maximum):
ENTRY 3
Type of Source:
APA 7 Reference:
Annotation (150 words maximum):
ENTRY 4
Type of Source:
APA 7 Reference:
Annotation (150 words maximum):
ENTRY 5
Type of Source:
APA 7 Reference:
Annotation (150 words maximum):
Summary of Findings (400 words MAXIMUM)
The reviewed literature consistently supports the theory that self-compassion serves as a
protective factor for mental health. Across several studies, individuals with higher self-
compassion reported significantly lower levels of psychological symptoms, particularly
depression, anxiety, and stress-related distress (Crego et al., 2022; Neff, 2003; Sirois et al., 2015;
Zessin et al., 2015). These findings suggest that self-compassion moderates the relationship
between psychological stressors and mental health outcomes by reducing negative emotional
responses.
A common theme across sources is that self-compassion is associated with greater use of
adaptive coping strategies, such as emotional regulation and acceptance, and less use of
maladaptive strategies like avoidance, self-criticism, and rumination (Crego et al., 2022; Sirois et
al., 2015). This coping style may explain why individuals high in self-compassion experience
fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety in response to stressful life events. Some evidence
also suggests that increasing self-compassion through structured interventions can reduce
psychological distress, offering potential for clinical application (Crego et al., 2022; Zessin et al.,
2015).
However, several limitations appear across the literature. Most studies rely on cross-
sectional self-report data, which prevents strong conclusions about causality (Sirois et al., 2015;
Crego et al., 2022). Additionally, the majority of research participants are from Western,
educated, non-clinical populations, limiting the generalizability of findings to more diverse
groups or individuals with severe mental health issues.
Future research should explore whether specific components of self-compassion, such as
self-kindness or mindfulness, are more strongly related to particular mental health outcomes like
depression versus anxiety. Longitudinal and experimental studies are also needed to better
understand causal relationships and the effectiveness of self-compassion interventions over time.
For example, future research could ask: Does self-compassion training reduce clinical symptoms
of depression in high-stress populations, such as healthcare workers or university students under
exam pressure?
RUBRIC (Please keep this at the end)
Section Expectations Points
Research topic • Pick a research topic in psychology. /5
• Write a testable, concise, and clear theory.
• Make sure you are submitting a theory and not a
hypothesis.
Search Log • Document clear, specific search goals that vary /30
from one another (5 points)
• Use a minimum of two different sources/ search
engines (5 points)
• Use a minimum of three different search
strategies (5 points)
• Document the results of each search clearly (15
points)
Annotated bibliography • The bibliography must have a minimum of 5 /35
sources, including at least: 1 key, primary source,
1 current primary source, 1 older primary source,
1 secondary source, and 1 source of your choice.
(5 points)
• The annotation for each source should clearly
summarize the article’s results/importance AND
evaluate its relevance to your topic. Each entry
must be in your own words. You will be graded
on the quality and organization of your writing.
(30 points)
Summary of findings • Summarize the main takeaways from the papers /20
that you read on your topic. Make sure to use
your own words and synthesize the main
conclusions as they relate to your research topic
and theory, rather than just summarizing the
results from each paper separately. (10 points)
• Comment on any gaps in the literature and future
directions (e.g., What is still unknown about the
topic? What questions remain unanswered for
future research to address?). (10 points)
APA formatting • APA 7 guidelines are followed for all formatting, /10
references in annotated bibliography, and in-text
citations in the summary of findings
Total /100