10/08/2025

How to Handle the "Dark Tetrad" of Toxic Personalities

Here’s how to protect yourself

You stay late perfecting a deck for an important client pitch, proud of one particular insight that feels fresh and promising. The next day in the meeting, a colleague presents that idea as if it were their own. Leadership nods approvingly. You sit frozen, wondering if you’re imagining things. Maybe you di not explain it clearly enough. Maybe it wasn't really your idea at all. By the end of the meeting, you are no longer sure. Instead of calling out the behavior, you question your memory, your presence, even your value.

The truth? You were a victim of a toxic personality.

Psychologists call the most destructive of these "the Dark Tetrad." These are four personality types that consistently undermine trust, collaboration and performance. Unlike healthy conflict, which can make teams smarter, Dark Tetrad personalities erode team intelligence (the collective genius that emerges when groups work well together).

Please select this link to read the complete article from Entrepreneur.