The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 36, No. 2 - 12

Karen Erlandson

communication strategies aimed at achieving the desired goals. For example, expressing feelings, expressing empathy, and self-disclosing are communication strategies aimed at satisfying interpersonal needs within relationships (McCornack, 2007). As an example, a person with a high need for inclusion may act in ways that are outgoing, social, and aimed at starting conversations. This might take the form of specific communication strategies such as asking questions and engaging in self-disclosure and may also be expressed in personality traits such as acting like a class clown. On the other hand, a person with a low need for inclusion might prefer to be alone and may therefore avoid others (Schutz, 1992). This might take the form of strategies such as avoiding conversations and refusing to self-disclose and may be expressed in personality traits such as reclusiveness. Needs, then, can be expressed through communication strategies (asking questions) or through personality traits (being a class clown). If the two people just described were roommates, they may experience dissatisfaction with one another, as the first roommate would be looking for ways to achieve togetherness with the second roommate who would be trying to avoid it.

the ability to express both one’s own feelings and empathy regarding others’ feelings effectively, were more satisfied with one another (Martin & Anderson, 1995). Similarity in the appropriateness and amount of self-disclosure has also been linked to roommate satisfaction (Hawken, Duran, & Kelly, 1991). Additionally, roommates who both scored low on measures of verbal aggressiveness were more satisfied with each other than were roommates who both scored high on verbal aggressiveness (Martin & Anderson, 1995).

Personality Traits
Interpersonal needs can be expressed through personality traits. Other areas of research have established that similarity in several personality traits contributes to roommate satisfaction. For example, roommates who report similarity on interpersonal adequacy (i.e., self-acceptance, leadership ability, poise, and sociability) report more satisfaction with each other (Carli, Ganley, & Pierce-Otay, 1991). Roommate similarity in the personality trait of conscientiousness (being organized and hard working [Costa & McCrae, 1992]) was also associated with roommate satisfaction (Kurtz & Sherker, 2003). Additionally, similarity in extroversion (sociability and the ability to experience joy and other positive emotions [Costa & McCrae, 1992]) as well as Machiavellianism (emotional detachment and lack of concern for conventional morality [Jones & Kavanagh, 1996]) have been shown to be related to roommate satisfaction (Jones, McCaa, Jr., & Martecchini, 1980). Finally, similarity on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has also been utilized in predicting roommate satisfaction but was only significant in predicting satisfaction among women (Carey, Hamilton, & Shanklin, 1986).

SIMILARITY OF NEEDS AND SATISFACTION
Communication Strategies
Many studies examining roommate relationships have established that the similarity of communication strategies is the key factor in determining satisfaction with roommates. For example, roommates who are similar in their communication competence, defined as

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 36, No. 2

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