Internal Conflict: 8 Types and Why They Exist

According to Wikipedia, “An internal conflict is the struggle occurring within a character’s mind. Things such as the character view for but can’t quite reach. As opposed to external conflict, a character is grappling with some force outside of him or herself, such as wars or not getting past a roadblock.

The dilemma posed by internal conflict is usually some ethical 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.” In the field of psychology, internal conflict is often referred to as “cognitive dissonance.”

Why Does Internal Conflict Happen?

We tend to experience internal conflict when our hearts and head are in disagreement. In relationships, religious beliefs, work commitments, moral standpoints, and social ideologies are areas we often experience conflict.

It is straightforward to listen to the mind, do what others teach us, use logic, and plan our lives. But our hearts carry a special kind of intelligence, the kind (nagging intuition) that is subtle and often hard to pinpoint.  When it comes to heart intelligence, there are no set rules attached; it is often up to us to tune in and listen to the voice within, which often confuses us. Our head intelligence gives our lives direction, structure, and practicalities; we live in chaos without it. The heart is what breathes life and truth into this framework of our life journeys. Without it, we live unfulfilling, unauthentic, and soulless lives.

As is evident, balance is required here. We need to listen to both the head and the heart, but we often tend to value one over the other, which causes us to experience internal conflict.

What Creates Internal Conflict?

We experience internal conflict for several reasons, it depends on the situation, but there are factors at play, such as:

• Beliefs and values we inherited from our childhood and parents
• Societal values or ideals we adopted
• Religious beliefs or creeds we were taught and practiced.

The more mental beliefs, ideals, expectations, or desires we have, the more we will suffer from internal conflict.

There are five causes to explore that might help further in understanding the root causes that create the breeding grounds for internal conflict to occur:

• Resistance
• Attachment
• Short-sightedness
• Inaccuracy or indecisiveness
• Ignorance

 

There Are 8 Types of Internal Conflicts Found

The human mind is complex; we as human beings are far more complicated than we like to admit. We often experience or suffer from internal conflict within the battlefield of our minds. According to the research found, eight types of internal conflict often arise. Briefly exploring them below, see which one resonate with you the most:

1. Moral Conflict: A situation where you are compelled to choose between two morals, each with its good but of equal value. For example, a person could value telling the truth but lie to save another person’s life.

 

2. Religious Conflict: The constant battle between scientific truth and a religious belief in an individual’s mind. For example, you believed in a loving God but found it hard to accept that love when you see so many bad things happening to people you love.

 

3. Political Conflict: Situations where your own beliefs contradict your political party’s values. For example, you may support the party in power but disagree with how they are handling crises or struggle with accepting the education system.

 

4. Love Conflict: When we love someone, yet we want to do something to hurt them. Example: We may love our partners but find their habits intolerable, which causes us to act out.

 

5. Self-Image Conflict: The mental idea you have about yourself is your self-image. Example: Someone who takes pride in eating healthy but overindulges in wine or sweets.

 

6. Interpersonal Conflict: In a social setting, the non-alignment of your behaviors and societal norms. Example: An introvert doesn’t have much energy but creates a high-energy facade to fit in with others or has no interest in sports but finds themselves faking a conversation to fit in with coworkers.

 

7. Sexual Conflict: A situation where your sexual desire and sexual beliefs do not match each other. For example, a person might value monogamous relationships when sexually, they are better suited to open relationships.

 

8. Existential Conflict: When a person struggles with the meaning of life or the purpose of their existence. Example: when we struggle with the big questions in life, causing a sense of confusion, loss, or being stuck. Example: you want to live a great life to the fullest but do not want to make any sacrifices, changes, or get out of your comfort zone.

According to an article on The Mind Fool that I stumble upon during my research on internal conflict, that are four facts to be known regarding internal conflict:

• Internal conflict is inevitable
• Destroys the mind’s meaning, gone unresolved, can harm the soul and the mind, leading to anxiety, stress, sleeplessness, and even panic. The key is in understanding the conflict itself, its consequences, the meaning of its existence, and the way forward to resolve it.
• Internal conflict arises from a belief system we have, whether positive or negative.
• Guided by unconscious decisions, usually by needs or beliefs, you become aware only after it is made.

With all that said and done, what are the steps or ways you can follow to help you resolve your internal conflict when you find yourself caught between a rock and a hard place? Try these tips to help when you find yourself in internal conflict:

• Understand your intuitions; distinguish between intuition and fear.
• Learn to align your head and your heart; what would be the wisest choice
• Analyze the pros and cons, get some clarity before making a decision
• Get your priorities straight; what do you value the most?
• Let go of misleading beliefs that are fueling your confusion
• Be honest with yourself and others

Choose the lesser of two evils – if you had a choice, what would be the right one to make.

• Adopt a futuristic mind
• Find out the resistance. What’s stopping you?
• Choose love over hate
• Identify serious unresolved issues; sometimes, you need to get to the underlying deep hidden roots, such as shame, childhood wounds, or negative self-belief.
• Eliminate stress, relax your mind from the clutter and noise
• Let life flow, sometimes allowing life to move in the direction it wants is a better option than forcefully blazing a path

 

In Summary, I hope you find these tips helpful in understanding internal conflict and the mind’s complex battlefield. Self-awareness is the most difficult to achieve but most essential to start the healing process. Remember, it is normal for us to experience internal conflict; therefore, don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s utterly normal towards our journey to self-discovery, self-acceptance, self-growth, and enlightenment.