The Effects Of Roommate Relationship

“Familiarity breeds contempt” writes the philosopher Lucius Apuleius as he describes the relationship between gods and kings. Although the phrase has been bastardized and diluted to justify friendship failures, it does nothing to explain or propose solutions to recovery of the relationship. Apuleius’ phrase has real life applications in describing why it is unwise to become roommates with a close friend. I have seen multiple relationships, including my own, fall apart after becoming roommates and thought that I had a solid grasp on the dangers of moving in with friends. However, the idea that familiarity breeds contempt does not take into account successful roommate relationships between friends. A 2014 study done at George Mason University
At this point, it becomes necessary to find the factors that cause a relationship with a friend to fail or succeed. In 2002, a quarter of all American households reported having a roommate and the slow recovery of the housing market has increased it to a third of the population in just one decade. Although having a roommate seems unavoidable for most people, roommate relationships have positive social and emotional advantages that affect long-term happiness and mental health. Roommate relationships are extremely beneficial to young adults as they affect psychosocial development and success in college . For most young adults, acquiring a roommate is a psychologically and socially defining
Avoidance of conflict (through strict rules, chore charts, curfews, etc.) appears to be a form of abstinence in order to not bear conflict between one another, and many individuals feel more comfortable ignoring problems than to risk damaging a friendly bond. Conflict is not a novel concept to individuals, as they have undoubtedly experienced problems within friendships and the home environment. The familiarity breeds contempt concept does well to explain why roommates undergo a ‘honeymoon stage” followed by frequent conflict, but research shows this process to be normal stage in development. Resolving conflict within roommate relationships is a critical process that is applicable to future encounters and stems from family upbringing. Conflict resolution is dependent on the home environment that individuals are raised in. Individuals who had dysfunctional home environments react negatively and significantly less expressively than those who had positive upbringings. As opportunities for conflict are experienced, this presents young adults with the chance at relearning certain social interaction techniques. Studies of students from Midwestern University show that personal relationships in college are predicted fairly accurately from the quality of upbringing (Wise & King, 2008). Being aware of the negative background can give a partner the opportunity to overcome the lack of