Relationship Between Ethical Attitudes and the Dark Triad: Differences Among College Majors.

This study examined the relationship between the Dark Triad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy), ethical attitudes, college major, and social desirability. Researchers investigated if business and psychology majors differed on the Dark Triad and ethical attitudes. In addition, social desirability was hypothesized to moderate the relationship between the Dark Triad and ethical attitudes. In total, 383 upper division business and psychology students from a large public university were surveyed online. Results showed a significant negative correlation between the Dark Triad and ethical attitudes. Business majors have significantly higher levels of psychopathy and lower levels of ethical attitudes compared to psychology majors, and social desirability moderates the relationship between psychopathy and ethical attitudes. Given the deleterious nature of the Dark Triad, and the negative impact of unethical behavior in the workplace, the findings underscore the need for future research that further examines differences between majors on these variables.