5 Types of Conflict That Make Things Interesting (For Better or Worse)

This is when the battle happens in a character's mind. The protagonist struggles with doubts, guilt, fear, or a moral dilemma. A classic example is Hamlet asking, "To be or not to be?"

It's the emotional pain of a personal struggle, not a sword fight. You see this in real life when someone wrestles with accepting fate versus exercising free will.

Two characters have conflicting goals or values. Interpersonal conflicts pit a protagonist against another person with opposing desires or values: Think Harry Potter vs. Voldemort.

It could be a rivalry, an argument, or a deeper clash rooted in personality differences. Relationship conflict is a subset here — struggles with family, friends, or romantic partners where emotions run high.

Here, one character or a group fights against societal constructs or rules. This conflict type is everywhere in dystopian tales like "The Handmaid's Tale" or "The Hunger Games." The main character challenges the status quo because of fundamental differences in beliefs.

These conflicts often arise when someone refuses to follow a norm they find unjust, sparking tension with the larger world.

When humans go head-to-head with the natural world, you get a nature conflict. Think shipwrecks, storms, or being stranded in the wild.

This isn’t just about survival; it’s about understanding your place in a world that doesn’t care about your plans. These conflicts bring more depth when they mirror the character's inner turmoil.

Sometimes the enemy isn’t human — it’s destiny, gods, ghosts, or a curse. These conflicts often question whether we control our path or if it's prewritten.

In such stories, like those involving prophecies or ghosts, the protagonist must deal with something beyond reason or science. Fate conflict can spark the ultimate internal crisis: to fight destiny or accept it.

Writers use conflict to create tension and drive plot. But these types of conflict pop up in real life too.

Whether you're dealing with a roommate dispute or a personal crisis, understanding the conflict type helps you navigate it. Open communication and seeing the other person's point can lead to conflict resolution.

And yes, stories often include more than one conflict at a time — just like life.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.