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Every story worth telling hinges on conflict—it's the engine that drives narrative forward and the lens through which authors explore what it means to be human. When you analyze literature, you're being tested on your ability to identify not just what conflict exists, but why an author chose that particular struggle and how it reveals character, theme, and meaning. Understanding conflict types gives you the vocabulary to discuss narrative tension, character motivation, and thematic development with precision.
The conflicts in this guide fall into distinct categories based on where the opposition originates: from within the character, from other people, from external forces, or from abstract concepts like fate and society. Don't just memorize these seven types—know what each reveals about the human condition and how they function differently in building tension, developing character, and conveying theme. That analytical depth is what separates surface-level plot summary from the kind of literary analysis that earns top marks.
The most psychologically rich conflicts happen inside a character's mind. Internal conflict creates depth by forcing characters to confront their own contradictions, fears, and desires—and it's often the conflict type that drives the most significant character transformation.
When characters clash directly with other characters, the conflict becomes tangible and immediate. Interpersonal conflict externalizes abstract tensions—moral, ideological, emotional—into concrete dramatic action that readers can witness and judge.
Compare: Man vs. Self vs. Man vs. Man—both explore moral struggle, but internal conflict shows the debate within a character while interpersonal conflict externalizes it through opposition. When analyzing character development, ask whether growth comes from self-reflection or from friction with others.
Some conflicts pit characters against forces far larger than themselves—forces that cannot be reasoned with, negotiated with, or fully understood. These conflicts emphasize human vulnerability while testing resilience, adaptability, and the will to survive.
Compare: Man vs. Nature vs. Man vs. Technology—both involve external, non-human forces, but nature is indifferent while technology is human-created. This distinction matters for theme: nature conflicts often explore acceptance and humility, while technology conflicts interrogate human responsibility and hubris.
When a character's opposition isn't a single person but an entire system—social, political, cultural—the stakes expand beyond personal victory to questions of justice, freedom, and the individual's place in society. These conflicts force characters to weigh personal cost against principle.
Compare: Man vs. Man vs. Man vs. Society—both involve human opposition, but interpersonal conflict is personal while societal conflict is systemic. A character fighting one corrupt official faces Man vs. Man; a character fighting the system that empowers corruption faces Man vs. Society. This distinction affects how resolution is possible.
The most philosophically complex conflicts involve forces that characters cannot fully see, understand, or defeat through conventional means. These conflicts raise existential questions about agency, meaning, and humanity's place in a larger order.
Compare: Man vs. Fate vs. Character vs. Supernatural—both involve forces beyond human control, but fate is abstract and philosophical while supernatural forces are concrete and confrontable. Fate cannot be fought directly; supernatural antagonists can be, even if victory is uncertain. This affects whether the conflict's resolution feels triumphant or tragic.
| Concept | Best Examples |
|---|---|
| Internal psychological struggle | Man vs. Self |
| Direct interpersonal opposition | Man vs. Man |
| Survival against indifferent forces | Man vs. Nature |
| Critique of human-created systems | Man vs. Technology |
| Individual against collective norms | Man vs. Society |
| Agency vs. predetermined destiny | Man vs. Fate/God |
| Confronting the unknowable | Character vs. Supernatural |
| Character development vehicle | Man vs. Self, Man vs. Fate |
| Plot-driven tension | Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature |
| Social commentary function | Man vs. Society, Man vs. Technology |
Which two conflict types both involve non-human external forces, and what distinguishes how each functions thematically?
If a character struggles with guilt over a past decision while also fighting against an unjust law, which two conflict types are operating—and which is likely driving character development vs. plot?
Compare and contrast Man vs. Fate and Character vs. Supernatural: how does the nature of the opposing force affect whether the conflict can be resolved?
A dystopian novel features a protagonist fighting against a totalitarian government's mandatory surveillance technology. Is this primarily Man vs. Society or Man vs. Technology—and how would you argue for your interpretation?
Why might an author layer Man vs. Self beneath a more visible Man vs. Man conflict? What does this structural choice allow the narrative to accomplish that a single conflict type couldn't?