Un(desirable) traits? The Dark Tetrad across academic disciplines in higher education

Research suggests that students in certain disciplines, particularly economics and business, may display higher levels of self-interested behaviour than those in other fields. However, it remains unclear whether such differences reflect self-selection, disciplinary socialisation, or their interaction within higher education contexts. Addressing this gap, the present study examined whether Dark Triad and Dark Tetrad traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism) differed across disciplinary groupings. Across two studies, university students were categorised into business, law, and economics; natural sciences and engineering; and arts, humanities, and social sciences. In Study 1 ( N = 400), students in business, law, and economics reported significantly higher Dark Triad scores than those in arts, humanities, and social sciences, with natural sciences and engineering students also scoring higher than the latter group. Study 2 ( N = 213) replicated these findings using Dark Tetrad measures and examined risk-taking and amoralism, both of which positively predicted Dark Tetrad traits. Overall, students in business-, law-, and economics-related disciplines reported higher levels of socially aversive traits. However, given the cross-sectional design, findings reflect associations rather than causal effects. Results are consistent with both self-selection and socialisation explanations and have implications for curriculum design, student development, and employability in higher education.