About

Dr. David Watterson is an organizational psychologist with 30 years of consulting experience and creator of the Watterson Personality Inventory (WPI), the validated psychometric foundation behind VITALS.

The WPI is a factor-analytic assessment that measures personality, motivation, career interests, thinking styles, and openness to change in a single 40-minute instrument. Unlike assessments that simply describe traits, the WPI was designed to answer the practical question: so what? As President of Watterson & Associates, Dave has spent three decades applying this framework to executive coaching, talent development, and organizational decision-making.

His philosophy is rooted in positive psychology: treating people as whole and complete rather than diagnosing deficits. VITALS' scientific development is conducted in partnership with Bowling Green State University's Industrial/Organizational Psychology program, ranked second nationally, ensuring rigorous validation and ethical oversight.

Dave holds a PhD in Counseling and Personnel Psychology from the University of Illinois and an MA in Clinical and Industrial Psychology from Cleveland State University.

Latest articles

Woman in a kitchen with long afternoon shadows

August 17, 2026

Personality Types vs. Personality Dimensions: What's the Difference?

MBTI gives you four letters. The Big Five gives you five numbers. The difference between a type and a dimension explains why one is more stable than the other, and what each one is actually built to do.

Dr. David Watterson

Man drinking coffee by a window in morning light

August 10, 2026

What Is Temperament, and Why It's Not the Same as Personality?

Most people use temperament and personality interchangeably. Psychology doesn't. Here's the real difference, and how VITALS measures Temperament as one of six validated dimensions.

Dr. David Watterson

July 6, 2026

Why Personality Tests Feel So Accurate: And When They're Actually Telling You Something Real

Why do vague personality descriptions feel like they were written about you specifically? The Barnum effect explains the pull, and how to tell it apart from a result that's actually differentiated.

Dr. David Watterson

June 22, 2026

What Is Learning Style? How You Actually Absorb New Information

Most people think their learning style is visual, auditory, or hands-on. Here's what VITALS actually measures under that name, and why it isn't the same claim.

Dr. David Watterson