The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 40, No. 2 & Volume 41, No. 1 - 22

Karen Erlandson

DISCUSSION
The purpose of this study was to explore
privacy acquisition strategies, speciﬁcally for
the intimacy needs of roommates living in
college residence halls. One important ﬁnding
this study offers is evidence that negotiating
privacy for exclusive use of a shared space is
common amongst college students residing
in shared living spaces. Almost all of the participants reported having the need to request
privacy for sexual activity, yet few studies have
looked at this context when exploring strategy
selection. Therefore the present study contributes to the literature because it offers an important ﬁrst step in developing a typology of
privacy requests for sexual activity among residential college roommates.
The results of the current study suggest
that many roommates handle privacy issues
by discussing the potential need for exclusive
use of the room for sexual activity before the
need arises. Of the total number of strategies
reported, 53% were previously arranged while
only 26% were spontaneously created. This
is unusual, as many studies of roommates
suggest that avoidance is the preferred method
of managing difﬁcult interactions (Black, 1998;
Sillars, 1980). Perhaps the importance of obtaining privacy outweighs the potential discomfort of a confrontation. This seems supported
by the data, as many participants used direct
requests in private conversations with their
roommates. Others negotiated indirect signals
unique to them (argot) to be used in case the
need for privacy occurred. In addition, roommates who arranged for the negotiation of
privacy before the need arose showed a high
correlation of multiple strategies with each

other. In other words, if a roommate was likely
to use one type of strategy ahead of time such
as a direct request, they were also likely to use
some type of argot as well. The use of multiple
strategies by roommates who previously arranged the negotiation of privacy may further
indicate the importance of privacy. Not only
are roommates negotiating strategies ahead of
time, but they are also using a variety of means
to achieve this goal. This is not the pattern of
avoidance that has been observed when dealing
with issues such as who will do the dishes, suggesting further that arranging privacy for sexual
activity is a much more important concern than
the cleanliness of the room.
This study also suggests that the need to
explicitly arrange for privacy for sexual activity seems unique and is unlike what is needed
in other contexts. For example, when privacy
is needed for studying, it seems appropriate
to study outside the room (Amole, 2005) as
most campuses have multiple locations for
study around campus. However, privacy for
sexual activity cannot as easily be found elsewhere. The following comments clarify the differences: "We will say 'Hey I'm going to need
the room for studying,' granted if we need
to study, we typically will go elsewhere. The
only real reason we say 'Hey I need the room'
is if we want to spend time with a signiﬁcant
other." Another student commented, "With
exams and what not she usually studies at the
library." Another reported, "My roommate and
I use direct verbal messages. Usually we do not
study in the room because we get too distracted
and only talk to each other. I go to bed earlier
than she does, around 12 a.m. or 1 a.m., and
she stays up later-so we have a non-verbal
understanding that when I go to bed she will

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 40, No. 2 & Volume 41, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 40, No. 2 & Volume 41, No. 1