Types of Roommates - Case Study Example

Types of roommates Most people have at one point shared a room with a college mate, workmate, friend or a relative. Regardless of the period of stay, there are certain behaviors exhibited by roommates that either make the union enjoyable or one to regret. Every roommate has his/her own unique behaviors and preferences. The three most common roommates are the quiet type, the fun-loving party roommate and the dependent roommate. The first and least category of roommates are the quiet type. This type of roommates hardly says anything to his partner, and often tend to do things on his own.

In an article by Mary Scott (2013) on the different types of roommates, she identifies this category. According to her, such roommates come in and out of the house or room as they please without saying a word. Such roommates are likely to be the passive-aggressive in nature as identified by Scott (2013) that use odd means to get their points across such as notes. They tend to care less about their partner’s friends or activities, and will hardly accompany them on any mission. As noted in the article by Scott (2013), having such roommates can be a blessing in disguise since it offers you the opportunity to do your activities such as studying with minimum interruptions.

However, communication with such roommates can be a problem, and one may be forced to use notes and texts. There are the fun-loving party roommates who simply want to enjoy life. With such a roommate, one should expect to have visitors into the room or house regularly. In the article by Scott (2013), the author identifies three subcategories: the socialites, the partier and the romantic. This category accounts for a greater percentage of roommates. For instance, as noted by Scott (2013), they are likely to be romantic- they are constantly with their significant other.

The socialites fall into this larger category. They are usually in a group, and tend to spend most of their time partying and staying out late. Similarly, the partiers have a tendency to spend most the time out drinking. Staying with such can be challenging, especially if one is not fun-loving as they do. Finally, the most common type of roommates is the dependent roommates. This type will always depend on their partners for everything. The dependent or reliant roommate always waits for the partner for anything to take place.

In the article by Scott (2013), two subcategories related to this are identified: the ‘taker’ and the ‘clinger’. The taker roommate is one who borrows things from you – including personal items. Most people have likely experienced this type of roommate at some point in their lives. The clinger roommate on the other hand is another type of dependent roommate who will always follow you everywhere, and in most cases, will not live the house until you do. They want everything to be done together.

This behavior can be irritating. People have different behaviors and preferences, and these determine the type of roommates one is likely to encounter. Understanding the different types of roommates one may encounter is good knowledge that helps a person prepare in advance before starting to live with a roommate. Regardless of the type of roommate one finds himself with, it is important to device strategies of copying with their behavior. Works CitedScott, Mary. 'The Different Types Of Roommates You Might Encounter And How To Deal'.

 San Antonio Current 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.