Internal conflicts

Definition

Internal conflicts refer to struggles that occur within a person, often involving opposing desires, emotions, or beliefs. These conflicts can shape personal narratives and influence the way stories are told, as they reveal deeper layers of character motivations and vulnerabilities.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Internal conflicts often serve as a catalyst for character development, pushing individuals to confront their fears, desires, and ethical dilemmas.
2. These conflicts can manifest in various forms such as moral dilemmas, emotional struggles, or conflicting goals, adding depth to the narrative.
3. When crafting stories from interview material, highlighting internal conflicts can make characters more relatable and engaging to the audience.
4. Effective storytelling often requires balancing internal conflicts with external ones to create a rich and layered narrative.
5. Audiences are drawn to stories that portray internal conflicts because they resonate with the complexities of real-life human experiences.

Review Questions

• How do internal conflicts enhance character development in storytelling?
  • Internal conflicts are essential for character development as they force characters to face their fears, desires, and moral dilemmas. This struggle can lead to significant transformations, showing how characters evolve throughout the story. By overcoming or succumbing to these internal struggles, characters become more relatable and complex, making their journeys more engaging for the audience.
• Discuss the relationship between internal conflicts and dramatic tension in narrative construction.
  • Internal conflicts contribute significantly to dramatic tension within a narrative. They create uncertainty about how a character will resolve their struggles, which keeps the audience invested in the story. By intertwining internal and external conflicts, storytellers can amplify tension, as viewers not only anticipate how the character will act in relation to outside forces but also how they will reconcile their own inner battles.
• Evaluate the impact of effectively showcasing internal conflicts on audience engagement and emotional connection.
  • Effectively showcasing internal conflicts can profoundly impact audience engagement by fostering a deeper emotional connection between viewers and characters. When audiences witness characters grappling with relatable struggles—such as fear of failure or conflicting loyalties—they may see reflections of their own experiences. This connection can elicit empathy and investment in the narrative outcome, enhancing the overall storytelling experience.

Related terms

Character Arc: The transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story, often influenced by their internal conflicts.

Motivation: The underlying reasons or desires that drive a character's actions, often linked to their internal conflicts.

Dramatic Tension: The sense of urgency and suspense in a story created by the presence of conflicts, both internal and external.