Psychology Working Outline Assignment

Working Outline

A working outline is crafted after all of your preliminary research is done. It is a solid

tool to organize all of the concepts you will address in your research paper and can easily be

converted into a final draft of your actual paper.

Use standard outlining format (see below), with your thesis statement above the first

Roman numeral entry; it will become the foundation for your introductory paragraph. (which in

APA style is never preceded by a heading titled “introduction”):

 Thesis statement

 All of your primary issues will be enumerated as Roman numerals (I, II, III). These

should be left-justified, in standard outline format. They will later become your Level 1

headings (see page 62 of your APA manual). Include some bullets or phrases to support

each, with citations in proper APA format for the resources in your reference list.

Complete sentences are not necessary in an outline.

 The supporting (secondary) issues for each primary issue will be labeled with capital

letters (A, B, C). These should be indented ½”, in standard outline format. They will

later become your Level 2 headings.

 Any tertiary issues that support your secondary issues will be labeled with Arabic

numbers (1, 2, 3). These should be indented 1”, in standard outline format. They will

become your Level 3 headings.

 Subheadings under the tertiary issues would be labeled with lowercase letters (a, b, c).

These would be indented 1-1/2”, in standard outline format. They would become your

Level 4 headings.

 The last possible level would be issues supporting the Level 4 headings, which would be

labeled with lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii). These would be indented 2”. They

would become Level 5 headings.

 Conclusion.

As with all outlines and papers, there must be at least two divisions for each level used, if

any. Outlines cannot have a “I” without a “II” or an “A” without a “B,” for example. Likewise,

APA papers cannot have just one Level 2 heading under a Level 1 heading; there must be at least

two Level 2 headings under that Level 1 heading, or no Level 2 headings there at all. In other

words, if you don’t plan to divide the larger section into two or more smaller sections, do not

divide it at all. Each new larger section starts anew. It is possible to have five Roman numerals,

with capital letters under just the fourth one; others may have capital letter divisions under every

Roman numeral.

Also note that the information included under each section should NOT be in compete

sentences. Phrases should be short and direct. A standard title page and reference page are

also required, as required in all APA assignments. Sample working outline follows on the

next page, with an example of how you would take that outline and convert it into an actual APA

paper.

Running head: SAMPLE PAPER 1

A Sample Paper for the Purpose of Correct Formatting

Student Name

Liberty University

Per the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA; 6th edition), double-space the

entire paper (p. 229), except with charts or tables. Do not add any extra spacing. Use Times New Roman,

12-point font. Do not use bold except for headings as necessary (see page 62 of your APA manual).

Margins are set for 1" on top, bottom, and sides. All page references will be to the APA manual, 6th edition.

Add two spaces after punctuation at the end of each sentence, except in the reference list, for the sake of

readability (pp. 87-88). The header on the cover page is different from the headers on the rest of the paper.

Only the cover page header includes the words Running head (without the italics; p. 41). The header is flush

left but the page numbers are flush right (see bottom of p. 229). Make sure the header font is the same as the

rest of the paper. Handouts on how to format the cover page (as well as other handouts) are available on the

Online Writing Center’s webpage: http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=17176, and a superb YouTube

video demonstration that provides visualized step-by-step instructions for setting a paper up in proper APA

format is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUjhwGmhDrI

Note: Comments inside boxes are not part of the formatting of the paper. Section or page number references

to the APA manual are denoted in parentheses throughout. Most citations within the body of this paper are

fictional, for instructional purposes only, but are also included in the reference list for illustrative purposes of

correlating citations in the body of the paper with resources in the reference list.

. Note: Center the following information in the top half of the page: title, your name, and school name (2.01, p.

23; 41). Some professors require the course title and section, the instructor’s name, and the date; add those on

the lines beneath the required title page information. Do not use contractions in formal papers—in either the

title or the body of the paper (i.e., use “do not” rather than “don’t”). Titles should include no more than 12

words. Titles use upper and lowercase letters (i.e., “title case;” 20.1, p. 23; see also 4.15 on pp. 101-102).

Prepared by Christy Owen, Brian Aunkst, and Dr. Carmella O’Hare. Last updated June 28, 2016.

SAMPLE PAPER 2

Thesis: God designed and created man with an internal yearning to have close interpersonal

relationships and attachment to Him and others, thus behavioral issues resulting from attachment

disorders have spiritual implications.

I. The Core Causations of Reactive Attachment Disorder

A. Attachment Theory and Development of Attachment Styles

• John Bowlby; Jane Ainsworth

• Anxious/ambivalent, avoidant, or secure (Besharat, 2011, p. 475).

• 16% = anxious/ ambivalent; 21% = avoidant; 63% = secure (Levy, Ellison,

Scott, & Bernecker, 2011, p. 193).

• Childhood attachment styles develop into lifelong patterns.

B. Pathways to Depravity

• RAD develops during the first three years of a child’s life

• Due to lack of adequate and appropriate caretaker

• RAD = lack of empathy; research = confirmed link between compromised levels

of empathy and “an increased propensity to engage in antisocial behaviors”

(Thompson & Gullone, 2008, p. 123).

C. Statistics

1. United States

• 38-40% of foster children; 195,000

2. International

• 1% of all children worldwide (Hall & Geher, 2003, p. 149); 22,000,000

A Sample Paper for the Purpose of Correct Formatting

SAMPLE PAPER 3

II. Correlations Between One’s Attachment to Others and Corresponding Attachment to God

A. Attachment to Others

• People = flesh-and-bone correlation of God’s design

• By definition = children with RAD shun true intimacy with everyone/God

• Inability to relate to others in an intimate and reciprocal way

B. God Image and Attachment

1. Scriptural correlations.

• “Man is designed to relate to God and the human brain is [in fact] ‘wired

for God’” (Fayard, Pereau, & Ciovica, 2009, p. 167).

• Jesus Christ = “living water” (John 4:10, 13)

• Bible = replete with imagery of God as a compassionate, caring, involved,

devoted and doting father to His children (Fayard et. al., 2009, p. 172).

• God’s own example = emotional intimacy, bonding, secure attachment.

2. Impact of personal religiosity on attachment.

• Parents with higher levels of personal religiosity = “stronger authoritative

parenting skills … and report less parent-child conflict” (Pickering &

Vazsonyi, 2010, p. 98)

• Children with a genuine relationship with God = stronger resilience in

navigating the adolescent years (Pickering & Vazsonyi, 2010, p. 111-112).

C. Spiritual Implications

• RAD = spiritual implications because it necessarily interferes with the person’s

ability to relate to God, as well as others

III. Conclusion

SAMPLE PAPER 4

References

Besharat, M. (2011). Development and validation of adult attachment inventory. Procedia -

Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 475–479.

Fayard, C., Pereau, M., & Ciovica, A. (2009). ‘Love the Lord with all your mind’: Explorations

on a possible neurobiology of the experience of god and some implications for the

practice of psychotherapy. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 28(2), 167-181.

Hall, S., & Geher, G. (2003). Behavioral and personality characteristics of children with reactive

attachment disorder. The Journal of Psychology, 137(2), 145-162.

Levy, K., Ellison, W., Scott, L. & Bernecker, S. (2011). Attachment style. Journal of Clinical

Psychology: In Session, 67(2), 193-203.

Pickering, L., & Vazsonyi, A. (2010). Does family process mediate the effect of religiosity on

adolescent deviance?: Revisiting the notion of spuriousness. Criminal Justice and

Behavior, 37, 97-118. doi: 10.1177/0093854809347813

Thompson, K., & Gullone, E. (2008). Prosocial and antisocial behaviors in adolescents: An

investigation into associations with attachment and empathy. Anthrozoos, 21(2), 123-137.

doi: 10.2752/175303708X305774

FAITH HEALING EFFECTIVENESS 1

The Effectiveness of Faith Healing in Managing Childhood Disorders

student name

school

course

Professor

January 26, 2025

FAITH HEALING EFFECTIVENESS 2

The Effectiveness of Faith Healing in Managing Childhood Disorders

The topic is “Effectiveness of Faith Healing in Managing Childhood Disorders.”This

paper seeks to analyze the historical roots, philosophical implications, and societal impact of

faith healing while addressing its alignment with traditional family values. The thesis asserts that

faith healing, while offering hope and a spiritual connection, often fails to meet the standards of

evidence-based medical practices, potentially undermining the health and well-being of children

within families adhering to this practice. The framed problem challenges the sole reliance on

faith healing to manage childhood disorders, which may conflict with traditional family values

prioritizing health, safety, and holistic care. Historically, faith healing has been a cornerstone in

some cultures and religious communities. However, its results often do not get empirical

validation and raise ethical and moral questions on many levels (Chen et al., 2024). Traditional

family values support the physical and emotional well-being of children, and thus, healthcare

approaches have to balance faith with evidence-based interventions to ensure optimal outcomes.

This topic is crucial to family, faith, and the future because it emphasizes the necessity to

harmonize religious beliefs with current medical research. The philosophical dimension contrasts

faith-based and scientific healing, while the cultural aspect examines its reception in varied

societies. Families need guidance to link medical treatment with spiritual healing practices in

ways that help children succeed and respect their family connection to religion and culture.

These statements are supported by research comparing faith healing to evidence-based therapies

for pediatric illnesses. Faith healing provides emotional and spiritual support but requires

additional medical procedures to treat major health concerns (Irsay et al., 2024). Extreme cases

require timely medical treatment yet patients who put their hope in faith healing delay medical

FAITH HEALING EFFECTIVENESS 3

care and get worse results (Iannello et al. 2022). Healthcare professionals who are culturally

competent protect children's well-being by accepting family traditions (Golsäter et al., 2022).

FAITH HEALING EFFECTIVENESS 4

References

Chen, J. C.-Y., Yu, M., Chang, C.-W., & Carson, J. (2024). The mediating role of flourishing on

religious faith and psychological distress: a pilot survey. Mental Health, Religion &

Culture, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2023.2297082

Golsäter, M., Karlsson Fialoss, M., Olsson Vestvik, S., Anefur, H., & Harder, M. (2022). Child

health care nurses’ cultural competence in health visits with children of foreign

background. Nursing Open, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1393

Iannello, N. M., Inguglia, C., Silletti, F., Albiero, P., Cassibba, R., Lo Coco, A., & Musso, P.

(2022). How are religiosity and Spirituality associated with Health-Related Outcomes of

Adolescents with Chronic Illnesses? A Scoping Review. International Journal of

Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(20), 13172.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013172

Irsay, L., Ciortea, V. M., Popa, T., Iliescu, M. G., & Ciubean, A. D. (2024). Exploring the

Connections between Medical Rehabilitation, Faith and Spirituality. Healthcare, 12(12),

1202–1202. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12121202