Chapter 5 Personality and Work-Life Integration Jesse S. Michel and Malissa A. Clark Researchers and lay persons alike have long been intrigued by the behaviors and thoughts of human beings. Likewise, personality has been an area of great interest and research within the Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior disciplines (Viswesvaran et al., 2007; Zimmerman, 2008). Interestingly, though the field of work-life integration has received enormous attention in recent years, very little of this has incorporated personality (Eby et al., 2005). Accordingly, this chapter aims to fill this gap in the literature by proposing and reviewing relationships between personality and work-life integration of professionals. This chapter will consist of four primary sections. First, we review relevant work-life constructs and provide a typology for the conceptualization of work-life integration-segmentation and how individuals intentionally and unintentionally approach their work and life roles. Second, we review primary personality con- structs that are theoretically most related to work-life integration of professionals. Third, we provide a qualitative review of personality and work-life integration research. Finally, we summarize main points and provide suggestions for future research. 5.1 A Typology of Primary Theories of Work and Life Much of the work-life integration literature has been dominated by a few popu- lar theories (e.g., conflict theory, enrichment theory). However, most conceptualize these work-life linkages on a continuum where segmentation (when work and life roles are kept separate) and integration (when work and life roles have no clear boundaries) represent opposing approaches (Ashforth et al., 2000; Nippert-Eng, 1996). As an extension of this general framework, we provide a typology that incor- porates both the intentional and unintentional influences of the individual. Below we explain the tenets of primary work-life theories within this typology (cf. Table 5.1). Integration theory suggests that work and life domains are inherently inter- twined (Edwards and Rothbard, 2000; Lambert, 1990; Zedeck and Mosier, 1990); J.S. Michel (B ) Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA e-mail: jmichel@fiu.edu 81 S. Kaiser et al. (eds.), Creating Balance?, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-16199-5_5, C  Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011