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http://foxhugh.com/2015/09/09/eight-types-of-conflict/
Introduction
Aristotle posited four types of conflict. Three types were external including man versus man,
man versus nature and man versus society. Aristotle treated internal conflict as a category in its
own right and this internal conflict is generally labeled as man versus self. This is an attempt to
revamp Aristotles thesis and suggest there are actually five major conflictual topics and each
topic can have an external versus internal perspective.
1) Man versus machine (external) Character is in a struggle against a robot and/or computer.
The Terminator franchise and the comic book hero Magnus, Robot Hunter would be examples of
this type of conflict.
2) Man versus machine (internal) The character is a cyborg and struggles to maintain a human
identity despite the computer implants in their brain. Deathlok and the Robocop franchise are
both examples of this type of struggle. The converse version of this type of conflict is a robot
that strives to be human. Data of Star Trek would be an example of this type of struggle.
3) Man versus man (external) The character struggles against another character or characters.
A common subset is good versus evil. Batman versus the Joker would be an example of this sort
of struggle. The struggle may have psychological accents but is mostly physical.
4) Man versus man (internal) The struggle between the characters is not physical but
psychological. A good example of this sort of struggle is Whos Afraid of Virginia Wolf by
Edward Albee. Commonly a character has a psychological problem that causes conflict with the
other characters this problem can be alcoholism, neurosis, a personality disorder, or even a
character flaw. The conflict is internal but the audience sees the manifestation of the internal
struggle via the effect of this conflict on other characters. Watching an alcoholic talking to
himself in a room is a lot less fun to watch than watching an alcoholic at his birthday party.
5) Man versus nature (external) The character struggle against the forces of nature. The Old
Man and the Sea is an example of this sort of struggle.
6) Man versus nature (internal) The character struggles with the animal within. The
protagonist of The Walking Dead, Rick Grimes must inevitably follow the dictates of social
Darwinism in order to survive. There is an animal inside man and in the struggle with nature this
animal may have to be unleashed for us to survive. Some Vampires may want to control their
thirst for blood but the animal within is too strong. The humanity of the vampire in conflict with
the vampiric urges of the vampire seems to be a recurring conflict in the works of Anne Rice and
this is especially true in the case of her character Louis de Pointe du Lac.
7) Man versus society (external) The character struggles against an authoritarian system
physically (The Hunger Games).
8) Man versus society (internal) The character resists the socialization, institutionalization,
seduction or even brainwashing of an authoritarian system. Joker in Heavy Metal Jacket takes
part of collective punishment to Pyle and becomes part of the system he had previously derided.
Chief accepts the system in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Chief is huge yet chooses not to