inner conflict
War within oneself
Inner conflict is the psychological struggle that occurs when a person holds competing desires, values, or impulses that cannot all be satisfied.
Someone might experience inner conflict when choosing between career ambition and family obligations, or when their actions clash with their moral principles.
She felt tremendous inner conflict about reporting her friend's misconduct.
The term appears frequently in discussions of character development in fiction, where protagonists often face inner conflicts that drive the narrative forward.
- indecisionFailure to decide
- self-doubtUncertainty about oneself
- second guessingReconsidering past decisions
- ambivalenceConflicting emotions coexisting
- guiltMoral self-reproach
heart versus head · conscience · devil on shoulder · knot · ache · moral ambiguity · moral struggle · torn · torn apart · cognitive dissonance · integrity · shame · soul searching · resentment · identity crisis · gut feeling · trust issues · dilemma
- Dualityduality, dual nature, two sides, yin and yang, yin-yang
- emotionsjoy, anger, fear, sadness, love
- identityidentity, personal identity, self, selfhood, self-expression
- characterizationprotagonist, trait, antagonist, hero, villain
- emotional strugglesemotional pain, heartbreak, sadness, loneliness, frustration
- indecisionindecision, indecisiveness, conflicted, hesitation, indecisive
inner conflictinner peace
Mental and emotional tranquility
peace of mind · inner harmony · serenity · tranquility · equanimity
inner conflictconviction
Firmly held belief
certainty · decisiveness · single-mindedness · clear conscience · purpose