# Internal conflict

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Intrapersonal struggle

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For an armed conflict within a country, see [civil war](/source/Civil_war).

In [narrative](/source/Story_structure), 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](/source/Ethics) or emotional question. Indicators of internal conflict would be a character's hesitation or self-posing questions like "What was it I did wrong?".[1][*[unreliable source?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources)*] 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](/source/Civil_war).[2] An internal conflict is a domestic conflict, and can be caused because of political, economic or religious causes.[3][4][5][6]

## See also

- [Conflict (narrative)](/source/Conflict_(narrative))

- [Cognitive dissonance](/source/Cognitive_dissonance)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Rector, Melissa. ["Conflict in Literature"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081202181118/http://hpms.hpisd.org/Portals/1/Teachers/Weitman/Conflict.ppt). Archived from [the original](http://hpms.hpisd.org/Portals/1/Teachers/Weitman/Conflict.ppt) on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 16 September 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [THE \[ United Nations\] SECURITY COUNCIL, PEACEKEEPING AND INTERNAL CONFLICT AFTER THE COLD WAR, MATS R. BERDAL](http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1375&context=djcil). Example of "internal conflict" for a civil war.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Chopin, K., & Correll, G. (2011). The story of an hour and other stories. Good Ink.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Hecker, L. (1993). The stolen party and anthology of women's stories. Cambridge Univ. Press.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** "Internal Conflict Examples In Literature". Examples.Yourdictionary.Com, 2021, [https://examples.yourdictionary.com/internal-conflict-examples.html](https://examples.yourdictionary.com/internal-conflict-examples.html).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Lessing, D. (2013). Through the tunnel.

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