In
narrative
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...
, an internal conflict is the struggle occurring within a character's mind. Things such as what the character yearns for, but can't quite reach. As opposed to external conflict, in which a character is grappling some force outside of themself, such as wars or a chain-breaking off a bike, or not being able to get past a roadblock. The dilemma posed by internal conflict is usually some
ethical
Ethics is the philosophical study of moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches include normative ethics, applied e ...
or emotional question. Indicators of internal conflict would be a character's hesitation or self-posing questions like "What was it I did wrong?". An internal conflict can also be a decision-making issue.
The term "Victor conflict" is also widely used to describe a military conflict within a nation, such as a
civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
.
THE [ United Nations] SECURITY COUNCIL, PEACEKEEPING AND INTERNAL CONFLICT AFTER THE COLD WAR, MATS R. BERDAL
Example of "internal conflict" for a civil war. An internal conflict is a domestic conflict, and can be caused because of political, economic or religious causes.
See also
* Conflict (narrative)
Conflict is a major element of narrative or dramatic structure in literature, particularly European and European diaspora literature starting in the 20th century, that adds a goal and opposing forces to add uncertainty as to whether the goal will ...
* Cognitive dissonance
In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is described as a mental phenomenon in which people unknowingly hold fundamentally conflicting cognitions. Being confronted by situations that challenge this dissonance may ultimately result in some ...
References
Chopin, K., & Correll, G. (2011). The story of an hour and other stories. Good Ink.
Hecker, L. (1993). The stolen party and anthology of women's stories. Cambridge Univ. Press.
"Internal Conflict Examples In Literature". Examples.Yourdictionary.Com, 2021, https://examples.yourdictionary.com/internal-conflict-examples.html.
Lessing, D. (2013). Through the tunnel.
Conflict (narrative)
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