Do the operational definitions used in psychology rob psychological phenomena of their essence, that is to say, of what makes them human phenomena?

Answer 1

All living things engage in behavior. Humans can be differentiated from other living things via their complex behavioral psychology. An operational definition of a psychological phenomena is the process of breaking down the phenomena itself into concrete and measurable terms. In defining the phenomena it can become easier for clinicians and researchers to identify the exact phenomena when it occurs in real life. There is room for argument that it in-fact does rob the phenomena of its psychological essence given that there is no sure way to fully comprehend all aspects of psychological phenomena as many of their aspects are unseen. That being said operational definitions assist in the identification of phenomena while in a sense not being fully clear or encompassing all aspects of the psychological idea.

It is realistically impossible to operationally identify what makes psychological phenomena human other than to compare the operational definitions of human phenomena to that of other living things. It can be assured that in this type of comparison minor differences when it comes to immeasurable aspects are present.