Recognizing Work Behaviours at Home

Learn about:

Controlling behaviours at home
Authoritarian spillover: How it happens
The effects of controlling behaviours on families

Controlling behaviours at home

Public safety organizations are ‘military-like’ because they have ranks and a chain of command. They require PSP to obey orders and rely on teamwork and rigorous training. Behaviours and traits that allow PSP to do their jobs well are respected and valued by organizations. However, these behaviours can affect couple and family relationships when they spill over into home life. If a PSP is having a hard time detaching from the job, it might lead to more controlling behaviours at home. What PSP witness on the job can also affect their behaviours at home and cause them to be overprotective of their families. Authoritarian spillover is a term used to describe the carry-over of these controlling behaviours into the home.

Authoritarian spillover: How it happens

The effects of controlling behaviours on families

Try: Skill-building Exercises

Problem Solving Together

Managing Conflict

Extending Your Support System

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References for this page (click to expand)

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Badawy, P. J. & Schieman, S. (2021). With greater power comes greater stress? Authority, supervisor support, and work-family strains. Journal of Marriage and Family 83(1):40-56. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12714

Cheema, R. (2016). Black and blue bloods: protecting police officer families from domestic violence. Family Court Review, 54(3), 487-500. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12226

Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. The Academy of Management Review, 10(1), 76-88. https://doi.org/10.2307/258214

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Ricciardelli, R., Carleton, R. N., Groll, D., & Cramm, H. (2018). Qualitatively unpacking Canadian public safety personnel experiences of trauma and their well-being. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 60(4), 566-577. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjccj.2017-0053.r2

Sommerfeld, A., Wagner, S. L., Harder, H. G., & Schmidt, G. (2017). Behavioral health and firefighters: an intervention and interviews with Canadian firefighters. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 22(4), 307-324. https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2017.1284515

Tuttle, B. M., Giano, Z., & Merten, M. J. (2018). Stress spillover in policing and negative relationship functioning for law enforcement marriages. The Family Journal (Alexandria, Va.), 26(2), 246-252. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480718775739