Yeah, I don't believe for a second that this is a trait that belongs exclusively to engineers.

Here's a thought: anyone in a position of "power" is susceptible to this dynamic; if "social" relationships were described as an equation, then power (P) would be inversely proportional to the effort or energy (E) you need to expend to maintain any given social relationship (R),

P = R/E

The more power/authority you wield, the more of a jerk you can be (not should be or are), because the value of the relationship is lopsided - you don't need to spend as much energy on it.

The power an engineer holds is that they are often quite valuable within an organization, and tend to have an easily transferable skill set.