Drawing upon social learning theory the intergenerational transmission of violence hypothesis and research on self-control we develop a model of the relationships among previous experiences of family undermining self-control and abusive supervision. We tested the model with data obtained from supervisor–employee matched pairs in Study 1 and matched triads in Study 2. Results revealed that: 1) supervisors who experienced higher levels of family undermining (whether reported by the immediate supervisor or a sibling) during childhood aremore likely to engage in abusive supervisory behaviors as adults; and 2) this relationship ismoderated such that it is stronger for supervisors with low self-control. Overall our results highlight the role of selfcontrol in mitigating the impact of supervisors' previous experiences of family undermining on subordinate perceptions of abusive supervision even after controlling for previously established antecedents.