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Another Look at Family Adjustment

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Work and Family Interface in the International Career Context

Abstract

This chapter argues that in the international career context there is a need to conceptualise the adjustment of the family unit holistically. We discuss what that means and how it can be done. We note that to date the family has almost always been conceptualised as a hindrance to or a support for the working expatriate. However, in international assignments the family as a whole is expatriated and the family may become part of the expatriate resources with the line between work and family/personal life blurring. We draw on the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) literature to argue that previous conceptions of adjustment have failed to capture the complexity of the process from the family perspective and we use that literature to develop our understanding of the process of adjustment of the family unit and suggest ways forward.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We would like to thank one of our reviewers for suggesting that we address the gendered nature of family adjustment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Leadership, Work and Organisations, Middlesex University Business School, London, UK

    Arno Haslberger

  2. University of Essex, Colchester, UK

    Thomas Hippler

  3. Essex Business School, University of Reading, Reading, UK

    Chris Brewster

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  1. Arno Haslberger
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  2. Thomas Hippler
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Correspondence to Arno Haslberger .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland

    Liisa Mäkelä

  2. Department of Management, University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland

    Vesa Suutari

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Haslberger, A., Hippler, T., Brewster, C. (2015). Another Look at Family Adjustment. In: Mäkelä, L., Suutari, V. (eds) Work and Family Interface in the International Career Context. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17647-5_4

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