EQ: What are the types of conflict?

By the end of this lesson, you will be

able to:

identify Conflict as it appears in literature.
distinguish between Internal and External
conflict.
place conflict in one of three subcategories.

Internal Conflict
Definition:
A struggle that takes place in a character's
mind is called internal conflict.
Internal Conflict is
NOT a visual or tangible
opposition.
a character dealing with his
or her own mixed feelings or
emotions.
Example of Internal Conflict
A character may have to decide between
right and wrong or between two solutions
to a problem.



Internal Conflict
Subcategory
Man vs. Self

Internal conflict is
often referred to as
man vs. self since the
struggle is inside
ones head.
External Conflict
Definition:
A struggle between a character and an
outside force is an external conflict.
Example of External Conflict
Characters may face several types of
outside forces.
The outside force may be another
character. It may be the character and the
community.
The outside force may also be forces of
nature. For example, a story might be the
main character struggling against the
arctic cold.
External Conflict
Subcategories
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Society



Man vs. Man
This is mostly seen in the form of two
characters against each other.
It can also be represented by a group of
people.
It does not have to be a physical
confrontation; it can be a battle between
two ideas.


Man vs. Nature
--weather: rain, hot (summer), earthquake,
sandstorms

Man vs. Society
-- court, legal
Examples: racism, laws, immigration,