Four Types of Conflict

Contributed by:
Ivan
Here, students will learn how to notice the four different types of conflict in a story.
1. “There are always two sides to every story.”
2. INTERNAL VS. EXTERNAL
◼ Internal Conflict -- Occurs within a character such as:
▪ Do Right or Wrong
◼ External Conflict -- Involves a character who struggles
against a force outside him- or herself, such as:
▪ Nature
▪ A Physical Object
▪ Another Character
3. 4 TYPES OF CONFLICT
◼ Man vs. Self
◼ Man vs. Man
◼ Man vs. Nature
◼ Man vs. Society
4. MAN VS. SELF
◼ This is an Internal Conflict.
◼ When you have a problem within yourself
▪ “Should I steal from the grocery store because my kids
are starving and I have no money? I know it is wrong,
but I have to stay alive.”
▪ Aladdin
5. MAN VS. MAN
◼ This is an External Conflict
◼ When there is problem, argument, or dispute between two or
more people.
▪ “The bully kept taking my lunch money at school everyday, so
finally I set him up. I told the principal to watch me in the hall
after 3rd block and sure enough, that is when the bully tried
again.”
▪ Luke vs. Darth
6. MAN VS. NATURE
◼ External Conflict
◼ When someone is faced with a problem based on
weather, animals, or any other natural cause
▪ “The twister was strong and wild as it ripped through
the corn field. As it came towards the house we all were
scared that we might die.”
▪ Twister
7. MAN VS. SOCIETY
◼ External Conflict
◼ When someone or a group of people go against the social
norms or against their government.
▪ “We did not want to pay taxes, so we sailed across the
ocean and founded a new country called America!”
▪ Hunger Games
8. ◼Fill out the questions of the back of your
notes as you watch the following episode.
◼The New Kid
◼Now, review as a class
9. Read chapter #4 aloud in
your group when you’re
finished with the worksheet.
10. RECAP
◼ Internal is a conflict “within”
◼ External is a conflict “outside” of the character
◼ 4 Types of Conflict
▪ Man vs. Self
▪ Man vs. Man
▪ Man vs. Nature
▪ Man vs. Society
11. After breaking his mother's favorite vase,
Casey struggles to decide whether he should
tell his mother the truth and face the
consequences, or whether he should attempt
to hide his mistake and blame the family
dog.
12. Man vs. Self
13. It's the year 3030 and society is completely
dependent on computers and robots. A young boy
named Domino is flying his hoverboard to school
when all of the machines start acting up and
attacking people due to a powerful computer virus.
14. Man vs. Society
15. Janie is on a whitewater-rafting trip along a
choppy river when their guide suddenly has a
heart attack. Now she and the other passengers
must learn to work together to survive the
treacherous rapids. As if things weren't bad
enough, some of the passengers spotted a bear
following the confused rafters along the shore.
16. Man vs. Nature
17. Kirstin was once teased for being heavy, but
then she lost a lot of weight. Now Kirstin is very
skinny, but there is just one problem: she still
sees an overweight girl when she looks in the
mirror.Her friends and family try to convince
her of how beautiful she is, but she doesn't
believe them. Worse still, she is continuing to
diet.
18. Man vs. Self
19. Jack Jupiter is the best fighter pilot in the Air
Force. He can take down an enemy jet while
doing a barrel roll. One day while Jack is
escorting some friendly pilots to a military
base, something that Jack has never seen
before attacks the convoy… aliens!
20. Man vs. Nature
21. Ronny has won second place in the science fair for the
last two years, and Newton Robinson has taken first.
Ronny hated how Newton gloated and held these
victories high over Ronny's head. This year, Ronny will
stop at nothing to beat Newton. He has even enlisted
the help of a Nobel Prize nominated scientist who was
banished from the scientific community for his rouge
experiments.
22. Man vs. Man