Abstract
The work-family literature examinesthe degree to which work and family roles can be segmentedor integrated by an individual. In the family firm, the requirement thatwork and family roles be integrated createstension for family employees, particularly those who prefer higher degrees of segmentation between the roles. Integrating family firm with family relations research, this article explores potential difficulties experienced byfamily employees in making transitions from their family role to work role and thepotential forfamily employees to engage in deviant behavior due to unresolved conflict and ambiguity from work-family role integration.These difficulties, we argue, are in part due to problems inseparating role expectations when they come from indistinct sources; that is, when the boss and father, for example, are thesame person. We explain how the tensions between work and family can create a cycle of deviance in the family and family firm domains.