Silence Can Also Be Deafening You are a nursing student and share an apartment with a friend who dropped out of school several months ago. Your roommate works as a bartender at a local restaurant four evenings per week and often doesn't get home until the wee hours of the morning. When she was in school, her general routine would be to come in quietly and go to bed so that she could be up early for classes the next day. Since she dropped out of school, however, she often brings home her coworkers who party all night and then sleep on the sofa or floor in your apartment. This has made it very difficult for you to get the sleep you need to be clearheaded for your early morning clinical courses, and you resent the loss of privacy in your apartment. When the situation first began, you attempted to talk to your roommate about the problem. She became very angry and accused you of being jealous that she "gets to have fun and you don't." She refused to discuss the situation further. Since then, she has been cold and aloof, and the situation in the apartment has become worse, not better. When you come out at night and ask her to turn the music down, it is often turned up even louder as soon as you go back to your room. You can hear her and her friends mocking you. Today, you discovered toothpaste squirted inside your shoes and your stethoscope was hung on the toilet. When you attempt to confront your roommate about the latest incidents, she states she does not have time to talk and that "this is your problem, not mine." Your lease does not end for 6 months, and you do not have the financial resources to simply walk away and find a new place to live. ASSIGNMENT:

Develop a plan for how you will deal with the passive-aggressive and aggressive behavior of your roommate. How do you communicate with someone who doesn't want to or won't communicate with you?