To Room or Not to Room

Again, the issue being experienced here is a lack of control over the situation, which has led to distress on the part of the complaining roommate (Abigail & Cahn, 2010, p. 128). This means the issues are almost entirely intangible; though there are tangible elements such as the unauthorized borrowing of the laptop, coming in late, etc., these are all acknowledged to be secondary elements of increasing frustration on the part of the complaining roommate, not actually primary causal issues of the conflict. There is not hyperstress based on the increasing activity load being caused by Elena's actions nor hypostress based on boredom from being left alone, but most definitely distress brought about by anticipation of the unknown and a lack of control over the future, namely the future of the roommate relationship between the complaining roommate and Elena (Abigail & Cahn, pp. 128-31). Some specific steps that complaining roommate might take to...

Adjusting her beliefs about the issue, such as be reassuring herself that Elena's decision (or lack thereof) is not really a reflection on herself, would also help to alleviate unnecessary stress, with the consequences being that the complaining roommate could allow Elena to progress and grow even if it means a growing apart. Thus, the ABC model can be used to suggest specific actions to relieve stress. If both roommates could learn to say "no" (and to hear "no") with less difficulty, and perhaps if they chose a common goal they could work successfully towards together, would help them develop a more playful spirit and potentially eliminate the current conflict (Abigail & Cahn, 2010; p. 132).
References

Abigail, a. & Cahn, D. (2010). Managing Conflict through Communication (4th Ed).…