ENL1000 Week 4 Theme Lecture

1. Week 4 Theme Lecture
Keiser University eCampus
ENL1000

2. Week 4 –
Physical and
Psychological
Conflict
© Nicholas Rigg/Stone/Getty Images. www.thoughtco.com/conflict-in-literature-1857640

3. Types of Conflict
In Week 1, you learned that conflict is the struggle between two opposing forces
and that there are two basic types: external and internal. A work of literature will
often contain both external and internal conflict. This is what allows the writer to
develop a fully rounded character who grows and changes as the story progresses.
This week, we will explore two specific types of conflict that are frequently found
in literature: physical and psychological struggle.

4. Types of Conflict
A physical conflict is a type of external conflict. A person might struggle against
other characters, natural forces, technology, etc.
Physical struggles might appear as problems with fights with other characters or a
lack of a safe environment, such as that experienced with natural disasters or war.
Some of the earliest literature was written about war. Literature of war can serve
as a documentation of events, creation of heroic figures, establishment of a
national identity, protest against war, etc.

5. Types of Conflict
Social conflict can also appear as a physical struggle. A person might struggle
against ideology or other social customs. Examples include a person struggling to
fit in after immigrating to a new country or a person struggling against
discrimination or oppression.

6. Types of Conflict
A psychological conflict is a form of internal conflict. The character struggles with
ideas such as morality, identity, self-destructive choices, or addiction or illness.
A genre that often explores psychological conflict is the coming-of-age story, also
known as a bildungsroman. Bildungsroman comes from the German words
“bildung,” meaning education, and “roman” meaning novel. These works typically
explore the formative years of a character as they grow from youth to adulthood.

7. Why Is Conflict Important?
Stylistically, conflict is what makes a reading interesting. Without a challenge to
overcome, a story would be boring.
Conflict serves to:
– Create and drive the plot
– Reveal opposing beliefs and truth about life
– Entertain by creating relatable contexts in emotional, dangerous, or
exciting ways
Studiobinder. (01 August 201). What is conflict in a story? A quick reminder of the purpose of conflict.
www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-conflict-in-a-story/

8. Why is Conflict Important?
Studying conflict can help us to understand opposing viewpoints.
When a character’s values and beliefs are challenged by a conflict, the reader often
gains a different perspective on their own world view.
As you read literature about physical and psychological struggle this week, look for
ways that the writers may be challenging the reader to expand their world view.