1. Case Study B. Read the following case. Think about your thoughts and feelings. What assumptions about this case are you making? Are your assumptions accurate? Put yourself in Katilyns shoes. What is she thinking and feeling? Consider what has happened. What is the most constructive relationship outcome possible? What are the barriers to achieving that outcome? Drawing from your knowledge of interpersonal communication concepts, what would you do to overcome those barriers and achieve the most desirable relationship outcome for you, Kaitlyn, and Cort?

Kaitlyn, Cort, and you have been best friends for years. The three of you are inseparable, and the people joke that you are more like triplets than a trio of friends. After high school, you and Cort become college housemates. Kaitlyn cant afford tuition, so she stays in your hometown to work and save money. Despite the distance, the three of you stay in daily contact.

Recently, however, things have changed. Kaitlyn has been hanging out with people you consider shady. Shes been drinking heavily and boasting about her all-night binges. You try to be supportive, and youre worried about her. You awake one Sunday to find a Facebook photo album posted by Kaitlyn, documenting her latest party adventure. Her description reads, A new low is reachedI LUV it!!! Surfing through the slideshow, you see Kaitlyn drinking until she passes out. Several photos show her friends laughing and posing with her while she is unconscious. In one image, theyve drawn a smiley face on her forehead with a Sharpie. Looking at these photos, youre heartsick with humiliation for your friend. Why would Kaitlyn hang with people who would treat her like that? But you also cant understand why she would post these pictures. What if her family saw them? Or her employers? You e-mail her, telling her that she should delete the album and saying that youre worried about her behavior and choice of new friends. You await a response for the rest of the day, but she doesnt call, text, or write.

That night, your computer crashes, so you borrow Corts laptop. While youre working, a message alert sounds. Its an e-mail from Kaitlyn to Cort. You know you shouldnt read it, but then you see your name mentioned. Its a rage message in which Kaitlyn blasts you for prying into her business, for judging her, for thinking youre better than her, and for telling her what to do. Its personal, profane, and very insulting.

You feel sick to your stomach with shock. You love Kaitlyn, but youre also furious with her. How could she say such horrible things when all you were trying to do was to help? Just at that moment, a Facebook chat message pops up. Its from Kaitlyn to Cort. So glad u r finally online! I want to talk with u about our nosy, o-so perfect friend.