Sarah Kershaw has an interesting article in the New York Times called ” Family and Office Roles Mix “. It speaks of how our position in a family influences the way we approach issues at work. There have been studies to show these differences in the first born of a family as distinct from the second born and so on. The very environment in which we were brought up does to a large extent influence the way we look at things. The roles we have at home make us, in a sense, adopt those very roles at work.
I think this subject is quite fascinating. I say so because I have also seen the opposite of this take place fairly often. I have observed how some people are, at home, the very opposite of what they are at work. If at work, they come out to be snarling tigers, you may find them to be as meek as lambs at home. The vice versa is also true. Those who are tyrants at home may be as meek as lambs at work.
But I guess, that’s why they are like that. They have to make up in one place for what they perceive they have lost somewhere else. This is displacement – one of the defense mechanisms we speak of in psychology.
People at Work & Play 
Interesting observation. I wonder if these kinds of behaviors are predictable. That is, can you predict someone’s family position by evaluating their work behavior. It sounds like you your experiences lead you to believe that it may not be true. Either way, it’s an interesting idea.
Thank you. Yes, the subject is indeed fascinating. Perhaps each of us tends to reach a conclusion based on our own experiences.