Don't be dismayed if you find yourself in conflict with your roommate(s). Disagreements between people are inevitable, especially in a roommate situation where people live together and interact on a daily basis. Conflicts usually occur when changes are needed and when behaviors, thought sand feelings need to be re-examined. Don't be afraid to confront your roommates about what is bothering you. If you know how to deal with conflict positively and productively, all involved parties can benefit from the situation.

Seven steps to conflict resolution:

1. Get all roommates involved in the conflict together.
2. Take turns describing your perceptions of thesituation, how you feel about it and what you want.
3. Together, come to an agreement on what the conflict is.
4. Talk about what changes will be needed to bring about the acceptablesituation.
5. Together, make a plan of action and set a time frame for these changes.
6. Make a commitment to make the necessary changes.
7. Set a future date to evaluate the situation and to re-negotiate anydifferences if necessary.

These steps may sound very simple but to make them work you need to know how tofight fair. The key to successful dispute resolution is effectivecommunication. To resolve a conflict, communicate with each other on aone-to-one equal basis and avoid behavior that will break down communication.

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