What is a person's inner conflict. Fighting intrapersonal conflicts

Conflicts between people that arise in social space are very often based on their personal internal contradictions. Few can boast of inner harmony. As if several people live in us - they argue, interrupt each other, quarrel, reconcile, agree ... sometimes. Today we will consider the mental space of a person and talk about the conflicts that often rage in this space.

Unresolved existential conflict almost always leads to the next type of conflict - content and form, or positional conflict... Searching for a satisfying personality answer to the questions "Who am I?" and "Through what social role in society can I show this?" can take many years.
And even with a resolved existential conflict, that is, realizing one's potential, not always and not everyone succeeds in realizing their felt inner without effort into the outer space. Through this or that solution to this issue, a person manifests itself in life. The consequences of an unresolved positional conflict are endless changes in activities, industries, hobbies, places of residence, spouses, and sexual partners. The feeling of dissatisfaction with social roles pushes for "adventures", unjustified risks, endless consultations with psychologists and counselors and can lead to deep depression.
As in the first case, there can be no helpers here. Until a person himself resolves his contradictions and finds roles that satisfy him, there is no need to talk about a harmonious existence.

And here the next conflict may arise - the so-called behavioral dissonance. This is when a person has already chosen a role, he seems to understand further actions - the scenario of this role, but the choice was not voluntary, but occurred under the influence of external factors. For example, his parents insisted that he become a lawyer, or his wife threatened to divorce if she didn’t get a job immediately, or he was offered a good salary. Then the inner feeling of one's own principles and rules comes into conflict with external factors that a person cannot influence in any way. One of the main external manifestations of behavioral dissonance is when a person's words are at variance with their actions. Well, he cannot step over his principles and perform the actions and deeds required of him by the outer space.
Accordingly, the absence of behavioral dissonance is when the word does not diverge from the deed, external and internal rules resonate with each other, and the chosen social role brings inner satisfaction.

The fourth type of intrapersonal conflict is motivational conflicts... They are related to the question "Why?" That is, when we have already chosen a role, it is realized and the behavioral dissonance is eliminated, the question of goals arises: "Why should I go exactly there, why should I invest in this or that goal?" The degree of manifestation of the motivational conflict depends on how ambitious your goals are. And its successful resolution is facilitated by the full resolution of the three previous ones.

We described internal conflicts as a kind of sequence, but they can be completely inconsistent, or a person can be in one of them all his life. And also some of these conflicts can be resolved at the level of intuition, bypassing the active phase of mental throwing.

Summing up, I will note that, without avoiding a direct look in the face of the arising internal conflicts and honestly answering the questions “What am I? Who am I? Like me…? Why am I ...? ”, We become a harmonious self-sufficient person and move through life easily. We feel good where we are!

Based on the book "Conflictology", author-compiler E.V. Burtovaya

Each person at least once found himself in a conflict situation, and not only with the outside world - others, but above all with himself.

And internal conflicts can easily develop into external ones. For a mentally healthy person, an internal conflict that does not go beyond the norm is quite natural. Moreover, the situation of intrapersonal contradiction and tension within a certain framework is not only natural, but also necessary for the improvement and development of the personality itself.

Any development cannot take place without internal contradictions (crises), and where there are contradictions, there is also the basis of the conflict. And if an intrapersonal conflict proceeds within the framework of the rational, it is really necessary, because a moderate critical attitude to one's own “I”, dissatisfaction with oneself, as a powerful internal engine, forces a person to follow the path of self-actualization and self-improvement, thereby filling with meaning not only his own life, but also improving the world.

The scientific study of intrapersonal conflict began at the end of the 19th century and was associated primarily with the name of the founder of psychoanalysis - the Austrian scientist Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939), who revealed the biosocial and biopsychological nature of intrapersonal conflict. He showed that human existence is associated with constant tension and overcoming the contradiction between socio-cultural norms and biological drives and desires of a person, between consciousness and the unconscious.

In this contradiction and constant confrontation of the above parties, and is, according to Freud, the essence of intrapersonal conflict. Within the framework of psychoanalysis, the theory of intrapersonal conflict was also developed by K. Jung, K. Horney, and others.

A great contribution to the study of the problem of intrapersonal conflict was made by the German psychologist Kurt Lewin (1890-1947), who defined it as a situation in which oppositely directed forces of equal magnitude act simultaneously on a person.

In this regard, he identified three types of conflict situations.

1. A person is between two positive forces of approximately equal magnitude. "This is the case of Buridan's donkey sitting between two equal haystacks and starving to death."
2. A person is between two approximately equal negative forces. A typical example is the situation of punishment. Example: on the one hand, a child must complete a school assignment that he does not want to do, and on the other hand, he may be punished if he does not do it.
3. A person is simultaneously affected by two oppositely directed forces of approximately equal magnitude and in the same place. Example: a child wants to pet a dog, but he is afraid of it, or wants to eat a cake, but he was forbidden.

The theory of intrapersonal conflict was further developed in the works of representatives of humanistic psychology. One of the leaders in this direction is the American psychologist Carl Rogers (1902-1987). The fundamental component of the personality structure, he believes, is the “I-concept” - the idea of a person about himself, the image of his own “I”, which is formed in the process of interaction of the individual with the environment. Self-regulation of human behavior takes place on the basis of the “I-concept”.

But "I-concept" often does not coincide with the idea of the ideal "I". A mismatch may occur between them. This dissonance (discrepancy) between the “I-concept”, on the one hand, and the ideal “I”, on the other, and acts as an intrapersonal conflict, the consequence of which can be a serious mental illness.

The concept of intrapersonal conflict by one of the leading representatives of humanistic psychology, the American psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908-1968), gained wide popularity. According to Maslow, the motivational structure of a person is formed by a number of hierarchically organized needs (see here).

The highest is the need for self-actualization, that is, for the realization of a person's potencies, abilities and talents. It is expressed in the fact that a person strives to be what he can become. But he does not always succeed. Self-actualization as an ability can be present in most people, but only in a minority is it accomplished, realized. This gap between the desire for self-actualization and the real result lies at the heart of intrapersonal conflict.

Another very popular today theory of intrapersonal conflict was developed by the Austrian psychologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl (1905-1997), who created a new direction in psychotherapy - logotherapy (from gr. Logos - thought, reason and gr. Therapeia - treatment). By his definition, logotherapy "deals with the meaning of human existence and the search for this meaning."

According to Frankl's concept, the main driving force of every person's life is his search for the meaning of life and the struggle for it. The lack of meaning in life gives rise to a state in a person, which he calls an existential vacuum, or a sense of aimlessness and emptiness. It is the existential vacuum that becomes the cause of the intrapersonal conflict, which subsequently leads to “noogenic neuroses” (from gr. Noos - meaning).

According to the author of the theory, an intrapersonal conflict in the form of a noogenic neurosis arises from spiritual problems and is caused by a disorder of the “spiritual core of the personality”, which contains the meanings and values of human existence that form the basis of personality behavior. Thus, noogenic neurosis is a disorder caused by an existential vacuum, a person's lack of meaning in life.

It is the existential vacuum, the feeling of aimlessness and emptiness of existence that generates at every step the existential frustration of the personality, most often manifested in boredom and apathy. Boredom is evidence of the absence of meaning in life, meaning-forming values, and this is already serious. Because the meaning of life is much harder and more important to find than wealth. In addition, need, for example, pushes a person to action and helps to get rid of neuroses, and boredom associated with an existential vacuum, on the contrary, dooms him to inactivity and thereby contributes to the development of psychological disorder.

Among the domestic scientists who made a significant contribution to the development of the problem under consideration, A. N. Leont'ev (1903-1979) should be named, who, with his theory of the role of objective activity in the formation of a personality, did a lot to understand the intrapersonal conflict.

According to his theory, the content and essence of intrapersonal conflict is determined by the nature of the structure of the personality itself. This structure, in turn, is caused by the contradictory relationships into which a person enters, carrying out various types of his activities. One of the most important characteristics of the internal structure of a personality is that any person, even with a leading motive of behavior and a main goal in life, does not necessarily live by only one goal or motive. The motivational sphere of a person, according to A. N. Leont'ev, even in its highest development, never resembles a frozen pyramid. Figuratively speaking, the motivational sphere of a person is always multi-peaked.

The contradictory interaction of these "peaks" of the motivational sphere, various motives of the personality and forms an intrapersonal conflict.

Consequently, intrapersonal conflict, which is naturally inherent in the internal structure of a person, is a normal phenomenon. Any personality is characterized by internal contradictions and a struggle between various aspirations. Usually this struggle takes place within normal limits and does not violate the harmony of the personality. "After all, a harmonious personality is not at all a personality that does not know any inner struggle." But sometimes this struggle becomes the main thing that determines human behavior and the whole way of life. It is then that an unhappy person and an uncomfortable fate become the consequences.

These are the reasons for intrapersonal conflict. Definition of an intrapersonal conflict: an intrapersonal conflict is a state of the personality structure when contradictory and mutually exclusive motives, value orientations and goals exist in it at the same time, with which it is currently unable to cope, i.e. develop priorities for behavior based on them.

It can be said in another way: intrapersonal conflict is a state of the internal structure of a personality, characterized by the confrontation of its elements.

Thus, the following properties of intrapersonal conflict can be distinguished:

intrapersonal conflict appears as a result of the interaction of elements of the internal structure of the personality;
the parties to an intrapersonal conflict are simultaneously diverse and contradictory interests, goals, motives and desires existing in the structure of the personality;
intrapersonal conflict arises only when the forces acting on the personality are equal. Otherwise, a person simply chooses the lesser of two evils, the greater of two benefits, and prefers a reward to punishment;
any internal conflict is accompanied by negative emotions;
the basis of any intrapersonal conflict is a situation characterized by: opposing motives, goals and interests of the parties;
by the opposite means of achieving goals in these conditions (example: the goal is being pursued - to occupy a profitable vacancy, but at the same time to deprive it of another person, who may need it even more);
the inability to satisfy any need and at the same time the inability to ignore this need.

It should also be added that, as shown by 3. Freud, an intrapersonal conflict can be not only conscious, but also unconscious, which does not make it less significant.

The internal dichotomy of the human psyche is not a pathology, it is its completely normal state. Moreover, in the structure of the inner world of a person, two, three or more desires, aspirations, etc. can arise, compete and conflict at the same time.

Any action of a person is both interaction with another within himself, and opposition to another as a participant in the dialogue. We constantly have to choose from several options, which are often incompatible - choosing one means rejecting the other. But the conflict is caused only by tendencies equal in importance and mutually exclusive to each other (options of choice), when the personality, as it were, splits in two in making a decision. In addition, each of the options should be significant enough for the individual, and the choice of one option or another presupposes an internal struggle, that is, an intrapersonal conflict.

From an evaluative point of view, intrapersonal conflicts can be represented as a struggle between two positive or two negative tendencies in the psyche of one subject. Variants are possible when the trends contain both positive and negative aspects at the same time (for example, the proposed promotion implies an unwanted move to a new place of residence).

Intrapersonal conflict, like any other social conflict, involves the conflicting interaction of two or more parties. But if in an ordinary social conflict the parties are real subjects of social interaction (individuals, groups, organizations), then in an intrapersonal conflict the opposing sides are the structure of the internal organization of the individual, and the objects are incompatible needs, goals, values, interests and states of the individual. All these conflicts are socially conditioned, since their occurrence and settlement are associated with a system of certain social relations. Therefore, intrapersonal conflict is social or socio-psychological.

So, intrapersonal conflict is an acute experience of the individual, reflecting his contradictory relationship with the external environment and the uncertainty of choice. This is a collision of two or more tendencies in the psyche of one person.

The internal conflict nature of the personality is due to its complex internal structure, which is a contradictory unity of the biological, mental, ethnic, social, etc.

Let's consider the basic concepts of personality structure from the point of view of its internal conflict.

Psychological approach. In his concept of psychoanalysis 3.

Freud (1856-1939) distinguishes three interacting components in the structure of personality, three instances: "It" (id), "I" (ego) and "super-I" (super-ego):

It is the unconscious level of instinctive needs and drives, for which there are no logical laws of thinking. "It" is predetermined genetically. Its basic principle is pleasure;

I am a more highly organized structure in the human psyche, which is guided by the principles of reality and rationality. "I" is a product of individual experience. He is in charge of the tasks of self-preservation and adaptation of the organism in the external environment;

Super-I - the highest authority in the structure of the psyche - plays the role of an internal censor, conscience, controller.

It is a product of the influence of the external environment and the surrounding culture.

Intrapersonal conflicts, as a rule, arise between the unconscious level of "It" and the mental level of "I"; between the "I" and the "Super-I" conditioned by external norms. Variants are also possible when one conflict is superimposed on another or is a consequence and / or continuation of another28.

Socio-psychological approach. The famous philosopher and social psychologist E. Fromm believes that the inner disharmony of a person is due to his dual nature. On the one hand, man is a biological, natural being, on the other, social. Such a dual nature of a person gives rise to a number of intrapersonal conflicts, for example, such as:

the desire for freedom and the need to live in society;

the desire for life, for creation (biophiles) and subconscious aggression, the thirst for death and destruction (necrophiles);

the desire for power and the need to obey;

love and hate.

According to E. Fromm, all these states of internal duality coexist in each person in different proportions, any of them can cause an internal conflict.

Socio-anthropological approach. Social anthropology examines the personality from the standpoint of its cultural and ethnic characteristics. Each culture, ethnos, in the course of its evolution, interact, oppose, mix with other cultures. At the same time, a large number of people become bearers of several cultures at once (ethnic groups, religions, and others). For example, one of the parents of an individual is Belarusian by nationality, the other is Ukrainian, this individual was born and raised in Kazakhstan, and after serving in the army, a donkey and lives in Russia. Such a mixture of different cultures in the structure of the personality can also become the basis for intrapersonal conflict. A more complex version of the conflict arises when an individual born of representatives of different ethnic groups (races) does not consider himself to be one of them, but believes that he is Russian, although according to external characteristics it does not correspond to the Russian ethnic group. As a result, such an individual finds himself in a situation of "one of his own among strangers", "a stranger among his own."

Sociological approach. Personality is a set (system) of socially significant qualities that characterize an individual as a member of society, as a product of social development. This is a social characteristic of a person, determined by the measure of a person's assimilation of social experience. A person who for some reason has not gone through the process of socialization cannot be a person. Perhaps these are mentally ill people or someone who was isolated from society in infancy (the Mowgli phenomenon). Such people, as a rule, are limited in their legal (legal) capacity.

The most important components in the structure of personality are: consciousness, culture, activity, as well as social statuses and social roles.

In the social structure of an individual, conflicts can arise both at the level of a separate element of the structure, and between its various elements. For example, the conflict of consciousness is between faith and knowledge; conflict of activity - it is necessary, but I cannot; conflict between different personality statuses; role conflict, when one person simultaneously performs several incompatible roles, etc.

So, having considered various approaches to the internal structure of the personality, we can conclude that the conflict is initially embedded in the very structure of a person, which presupposes both the interaction of its main elements and their opposition to each other.

External causes of intrapersonal conflict can be due to the position of the individual in the primary group (family, student group, work collective, etc.) or in society as a whole.

In real life, external and internal causes of intrapersonal conflicts are closely interrelated and it is not easy to distinguish between them. For example, an official several times a day must make a choice between the law, the direction of the boss, the request of the petitioner (complainant), his conscience and common sense. To this situation can be added pressure by threat, blackmail, promises of bribes, and so on. Family, household, housing, financial and other problems can be superimposed on purely official ones.

The reasons for intrapersonal conflict can also be mobbing (from the English mob - crowd, crowd attack, surround) - psychological oppression of an individual in a group or in interpersonal communication. Mobbing can be expressed in negative statements, unfounded criticism, social isolation, false information, etc.

Competition and rivalry permeate all areas of our life, and often superiority for one means failure for another. Potential hostile tension breeds fear. It can come from the prospect of failure and the threat of losing your sense of self-respect. Market relations presuppose aggressive and competitive interaction, and Christian morality preaches the brotherly love of people for each other. Advertising stimulates our needs, and real life becomes an obstacle to their satisfaction. In such conditions, the human environment becomes one of the main sources of intrapersonal conflicts.

It is easy to see that in approximately the same conflict situations, different people behave far from the same. Social psychology identifies four most common types of people’s behavior in conflict situations: “The first type is aggressive behavior that contributes to the development of conflict; the second is behavior indicative of a tendency to compromise; the third is associated with a tendency to obey, that is, to make a decision of the opposite side ...; the fourth type reveals a tendency to avoid conflict ”29. In real life, each of these types does not occur in its pure form, but most people, with certain reservations, can be attributed to one or another type of conflict behavior.

Internal and external contradictions of the personality are closely interconnected. The human psyche has the ability to translate external contradictions into internal ones, and vice versa. Moreover, such a transfer (transfer) most often occurs against the will of the person himself, unconsciously. A person who shies away from solving external problems may find himself at the mercy of his own internal contradictions. People prone to outwardly conflict-free behavior often go into their inner problems and cannot fulfill themselves in an ordinary social environment. An example of this behavior is the tonsure of a monk. Others, on the contrary, easily overcome their internal contradictions and actively solve external problems that arise on their way, while achieving significant success in life, but they do not always get along with morality.

There are people who consider themselves the masters of fate (internals), there are those who look for the reasons for what is happening to them outside and prefer to go with the flow (external) 30. Often there are people who themselves are looking for conflict experiences and get a certain satisfaction from this. There are people who go into conflict due to the circumstances, when there is no other way out of the situation. And some ignore everything that could throw them off balance, and seek to avoid even obvious complications.

A personality of one type of behavior may largely depend on itself, another type - on the current situation. But all types of behavior are always a product of the vital activity of the individual and his environment. To meet needs and achieve goals, a person is forced to constantly overcome the internal resistance of his "I" and the resistance of the environment. And if for some reason the goal is unattainable, then the person finds himself in a situation of frustration (mental disorder, experience of failure) and conflict. The authors of the book "Psychology of the individual and the group" identify four types of situations that cause frustration: 1)

physical barriers (prisoner, bad weather, no money); 2)

the lack of an object to satisfy the felt need (I want coffee, but the store is closed); 3)

biological limitations: mentally retarded people and people with physical disabilities; 4)

social conditions, which are the main sources of frustration31.

Many researchers (A. Ya. Antsupov, E. M. Babosov, V. P. Ratnikov, A. I. Shipilov and others) identify the following types of intrapersonal conflicts: 1)

motivational - a clash of two opposing motives, for example, between the desire for possession and security; between different tendencies in the human psyche; 2)

moral - the clash between desire and duty; moral norms and necessity; morality and duty, etc .; 3)

a conflict of unfulfilled desire - a clash between desire and reality that does not allow it to be realized, for example, I want to become an astronaut, but people like me are not taken there; 4)

role-playing - a clash between two or more roles that an individual has to fulfill, and experiences associated with the impossibility of their implementation; 5)

adaptive - a conflict associated with an imbalance between the individual and the environment. It can arise as a single case in the process of socialization and / or professional adaptation, or it can arise permanently as a result of the discrepancy between the individual's capabilities and the requirements of the environment; 6)

the conflict of inadequate self-esteem - between the capabilities of the individual and her overestimated or underestimated self-esteem. Often a situation arises when the criteria for assessing the qualities of an individual are not his personal merits, but the prevailing conjuncture (circumstances, assessment criteria). For example, when a talented scientist (poet, artist and others) becomes unclaimed by the society (state), and ignorant rascals scoff at his inability to “take everything you can from life”.

One of the types of intrapersonal conflict is an unconscious internal conflict. It is based on any conflict situations not fully resolved in the past, which we have already forgotten. But on an unconscious level, we continue to carry the burden of unresolved problems in the past and involuntarily reproduce old conflict situations, as if trying to solve them again. The reason for the resumption of an unconscious internal conflict may be circumstances similar to the past unresolved situation32.

One of the main ways out of intrapersonal conflicts is an adequate assessment of the situation in which the individual finds himself. It includes an individual's self-assessment and an assessment of the complexity of existing problems. In psychology, there is the concept of "reflection". This is a person's ability to look at his situation from the perspective of an external observer, at the same time to realize himself in it and how you are perceived by other people. Reflection helps a person to identify the true causes of internal tension, their experiences and anxieties, correctly assess the current situation and find a reasonable way out of the conflict.

Often during a conflict, emotions overwhelm a person and prevent him from acting rationally. In order not to carry an unnecessary and burdensome emotional burden, you need to learn how to manage your emotions and periodically "cleanse" of the excess of such feelings as resentment, anger, fear, hatred and others. To do this, you can use a variety of methods and techniques, for example: speak out among friends, "discharge" in sports games, throw a tantrum in private (so that outsiders do not hear), rip old magazines to shreds, pound the mattress with your fists, etc. load of emotions, a person receives additional resources to solve their problems.

Intrapersonal conflicts and stresses activate the processes of spending the physical and spiritual forces of a person. To restore and mobilize them, as well as to "release" increased internal stress, there are various ways: for example, yoga, meditation, auto-training and others.

Intrapersonal conflicts and frustration can have both negative and positive consequences for a person and those around her.

If a way out of the conflict is not found, then the internal tension continues to increase. When the increase in stress exceeds a certain threshold value (the individual level of tolerance for frustration), then a psychological breakdown occurs and the person is out of balance. In this state, he already, as a rule, cannot cope with the problem that has arisen.

The negative consequences of the conflict are fraught with stress, neuroses, increased anxiety, general psychological depression of a person or excessive aggressiveness, which can be directed at objects that have nothing to do with the conflict.

The flip side of aggression is regression - a negative defense mechanism (escape from the situation). It does not solve the problem, the situation remains, and all the energy of the conflict, which has not found a way out, is directed towards the destruction of the personality itself. Freud said in this regard: "It is necessary to destroy the other and others, so as not to destroy yourself" 33.

In psychotherapy, the use of the state of catharsis is popular - this is liberation from aggressive impulses by directing them to various kinds of ersatz objects (opponent dolls, participating in sports wrestling or watching it, creating virtual reality using a computer, and others). In Japan, there are special stress relief rooms in public places where, for a small fee, a person can retire and break a few cheap plates. Now, even at some Russian enterprises, there are special rooms for relieving negative internal stress.

Thus, both the uncontrolled release of the energy of the conflict outside, and its artificial containment, negatively affect the person and others. The most effective way to resolve an intrapersonal conflict is an adequate emotional reaction of the individual - congruence (exact coincidence of emotions, their awareness and expression). No matter how complex the conflict may seem, it will always be less destructive for the individual if it finds its manifestation outside, that is, it receives an adequate expression.

The positive effects of frustration and conflict are as follows:

the attractiveness of a still inaccessible goal increases;

the presence of an obstacle contributes to the mobilization of forces and means to overcome it, the power of motivation reaches its apogee;

intrapersonal conflict promotes adaptation and self-realization of the individual in difficult conditions and increases the body's resistance to stress;

positively resolved conflict experiences temper the character, form decisiveness in the behavior of the individual34.

So, intrapersonal conflict can have both positive and negative consequences for the individual and those around him. Therefore, each person should be able to manage their conflicts: use it only when necessary, when it is not possible to solve their problems by other means; direct conflict activity in the right direction, at the right time and in adequate proportions; to restrain their "excessive" conflict and use it in other spheres of life for the benefit of themselves and those around them. In addition, it is necessary to assign the appropriate place to the conflict (not to dramatize) and be able to extract certain benefits from the conflict situation (for example, useful experience).

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Some people are faced with a serious psychological problem, because of which there is a lot of controversy within the personality. In other words, intrapersonal conflict is a contradiction that engulfs the individual. He is in great doubt, cannot make a single decision, since two opposing points of view have the same "weight". It is worth noting that this psychological problem can lead to both serious personal growth, if a person connects all his resources and mobilizes, and to big problems.

How does it happen in life? For example, a person finds himself in a difficult situation, and cannot make the final choice between real feelings and a marriage of convenience. Can't make the final choice between work and family. There are a lot of such situations, but if you "plunge into them headlong" and attach great importance to them, there is a risk of coming to an internal conflict. Due to the lack of harmony between the external world and one's own I, there is also a risk of developing more serious psychological deviations. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the approaches to understanding the intrapersonal conflict.

The basis and features of intrapersonal conflict

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As mentioned above, the basis of such a conflict is primarily the disagreements experienced within the individual. This conflict flares up inside a person, and he, as a rule, does not tolerate it in the world around him. An individual finds himself in a situation where he needs to rethink his values and, if he succeeds in doing this, acquires new useful qualities and a vision of the world. However, in practice, it is not always possible to cope with the situation, which leads to even greater isolation and asociality. The characteristics of such conflicts are such that they cause stress, frustration and anxiety.

Anxiety manifests itself even before a certain situation unfolds. She, in turn, is divided into situational and personal. Situational anxiety develops due to external circumstances, but if a person does not have time to cope with it, it immediately turns into a personal one. Remember how in childhood we were scolded for deuces and threatened with punishment. When the baby receives a negative assessment, situational anxiety occurs (external circumstances were added in a bad way), after which he remembers the parents and the intended consequences. Thus, internal anxiety begins to manifest. At these moments, internal dialogues begin, which can develop into something more, for example, into intrapersonal conflicts or frustration.

Frustration is a state in which a person experiences great disappointment. It occurs when there is no way to solve a complex problem for subjective or objective reasons. The same child cannot avoid a scandal at home, this leads him to oppression and frustration. In adults, this condition occurs most often when a goal is set and it is impossible to achieve it. When an individual throws all his strength and resources to solve a problem, but it turns out to be unsolvable at a given moment in time. As a result, a person experiences great disappointment, powerlessness, and his desires do not coincide with the possibilities.

Further, if the personality fails to cope with the developing inner negativity, stress may occur, which covers even more topics related to life in general and its position in it. Let's get back to the topic of goal setting. Let's say an individual has set a goal to make much more money, and, as usual, overestimated his capabilities. However, he wants to have an expensive car, new housing and beautiful things. As a result, there is a mobilization of all forces and after a while he realizes that nothing can be achieved, abandons his venture. A small conflict erupts within the personality, a person begins to blame himself, and then the whole world around him for injustice. You can often find statements that life is unpleasant, only bad people are lucky, all around deception and corruption. Although most often these problems do not directly affect the person and have only a minor impact on his life.

What is intrapersonal conflict?

To finally understand the concept of intrapersonal conflict, imagine a state of complete doubt. It is so strong, and the two opposing opinions are so reasonable that you find yourself in a kind of stupor. And if you add to this the insolubility of the problem on your own and help from the outside world is impossible, a person is even more immersed in a conflict within himself. It is interesting that the confrontation develops according to several scenarios.

Latency. With such a state there, a person does not even notice that he is in a confrontational state. As a rule, he has a lot to do, he is in a bustle, which is why there is no way to be alone with himself. Under the guise of vigorous activity or euphoria, the disastrous state of the individual is hidden;
Unusual structure. In this state, the conflict is not based on other actors;
Specificity. A person, among other things, experiences stress, fear, depression.

Sigmund Freud, a well-known psychologist in the Western world, believed that the essence of human nature lies in constant psychic contradiction. This tension is often associated with the foundations of social culture and the desire of the individual. Rules of conduct serve as a small example. For example, we are told: "In the library you need to be quiet." But maybe we want to discuss an interesting topic with someone in full voice or even stand on our heads in the middle of the room. There are a huge number of such situations and most of them are small ones that we can cope with.

The German psychologist Levin believed that a strong VC develops when two opposite opinions of the same size collide inside a person. And the more they are of significance and vital importance, the greater the risk of developing confrontation within oneself. Rogers also made an interesting point of view. How often we set ourselves ideals that are impossible to achieve. Moreover, sometimes our judgments are so subjective that we ourselves deny the possibility of achievement. As a result, understanding the ideal I to which we strive, and the real discrepancy leads to big problems and powerlessness.

Varieties and types

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If we talk about the main types of intrapersonal conflicts, then it is worthwhile to understand that we are dealing with a subjective opinion. As a result, there are no precise concepts, as the authors look at the problem differently. Nevertheless, the basis is there. As a rule, VCs flare up in the social-consumer and value-motivational sphere.

Valuable and motivational sphere:

Moral. When a person does not find a balance between his preferences and morality. Between personal attitude and duty to society;
Motivation. It often develops in situations where in order to achieve a goal you need to sacrifice your safety and comfort. As a result, the question arises between calmness and the desire to possess something.
Adaptation. A conflict arises when it is difficult for a person to adapt to a new reality. For example, a change in social circle or a new place of work;
Unfulfillment. The desired is not the same as the actual;
Inadequate self-esteem. Sometimes a person underestimates his abilities too much or, on the contrary, overestimates them, as a result of which internal conflicts with reality arise.

Classification of intrapersonal conflicts in the social and consumer sphere:

Conflict of social norms. Often a person denies social foundations, since they do not coincide with the inner vision;
Conflict of needs. Often, due to a limited budget, we cannot choose the right product and whims win. As a result, there are a lot of credits, the meaning of life is lost, there is no joy from possession;
Conflict between social norm and need.

There are also types of intrapersonal conflicts. Lewin (German psychologist), proposed 4 main types: frustrating, vital, equivalent and ambivalent.

An ambivalent type of confrontation develops in cases where the result or some action is equally repelling and seductive. A contradiction arises;
Equivalent. When a goal is set for an individual to perform several tasks of the same importance. To get out of the conflict, you need to find a compromise;
The frustrating type develops when a person prohibits himself from performing any actions, since they are at odds with generally accepted moral foundations and society;
Vital. When a person has to make decisions that he does not like, but they are necessary.

The main forms of manifestation of intrapersonal conflicts can be distinguished:

Euphoria - unjustified joy, tears are often interspersed with laughter;
Neurasthenia - migraine, insomnia, high depression, low efficiency;
Projection - criticism, negativity in relationships with people;
Regression - primitivism in behavior, denial of responsibility.
Nomadism is a constant striving for change;
Rationalism is self-justification.

Causes

As a rule, the causes of VC, its appearance and development, are due to three main factors:

External, due to the behavior of the individual within a certain group;
Internal, hidden in the contradictions of the personality itself;
External, due to the status as a whole within society.

When a person is faced with external factors caused by confrontation with society as a whole, they are usually based on personal status. That is, a person does not like his position in society or how he is treated.

VK within a certain group may be different, however, there is a common basis - the inability to satisfy their needs. For example:

The lack of the desired object. I would like a cup of coffee, but this sort of coffee is not sold in this city, and so on;
Physical obstacles. A person is in a closed room, cannot get out on his own;
Social circumstances;
Biological barriers.

However, it cannot be said that one of the reasons is separate from the other. In fact, everything is very interconnected and one reason smoothly flows into another. For example, the development of an internal conflict is most often due to confrontation with a certain group or society as a whole. Contradictions simply cannot appear (out of emptiness). It should not be forgotten that the basis of confrontation rests on two opposing opinions, which should be important. Otherwise, for the individual it will not be a problem, and he will let them pass by introspection.

It is important that the opinions are of the same strength, otherwise the individual will simply choose the most powerful one. When they are of the same size, a confrontation arises, stormy dialogues develop inside. What are the contradictions based on?

The confrontation of social roles. The modern world requires a person to perform many tasks, and, as a rule, there is not enough time. For example, an adult is tasked with picking up a child from kindergarten and fulfilling an urgent work order;
The confrontation between ordinary need and social norm. As you know, the human stomach works and it sometimes needs to remove gases. But what to do when there is a meeting or you are in a decent company;
The contradiction between religion and social values. A striking example is military action. A true Christian observes the commandment "Thou shalt not kill", but when something threatens his family or homeland, a big dilemma also arises;
Mismatch between interests, needs and motives. In other words, a person himself does not understand what he needs from life in general.

Often, VC develops due to working relationships within the enterprise, since most of the time a person has to work and is in conditions that are created by the external environment. If a person could choose for himself where and how to work, many problems simply would not arise. The main reasons for the development of a conflict within a certain group:

The struggle of values between your views on life, attitudes and professional goals. For example, if a person is pure in spirit, is used to speaking honestly, it will be difficult or even impossible for him to engage in advertising and sales;
A lot of responsibility and excessive tasks that are incomparable with the ability of a person.
Striving for creativity and routine work in the enterprise;
Two incompatible tasks;
Harsh job requirements and poor working conditions;
Bad mechanism for achieving the goal, vague, unclear and at the same time, a specific task.
Morality and profit.

Forms and ways of solving the problem

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To disassemble the forms of manifestation and ways of resolving internal conflicts is an important task for every person. We have already talked about forms, now you can move on to the topic of resolving the situation. The bottom line is that if a person does not find a positive solution for himself, this will lead to a protracted confrontation and, as a result, to a suicidal situation, a nervous breakdown or the development of psychological deviations. That is why it is important to know how to act in the prevailing conditions. Moreover, if you calmly figure it out, it is not so difficult.

In order to resolve the intrapersonal conflict as quickly as possible, you should pay attention to the following points:

Care. Try to let go of the difficult situation and switch to another topic. Sometimes a problem cannot be solved with the skills and capabilities available. Therefore, it is worth accepting;
Compromise. If there is a choice, try to reach a compromise and take action right away;
Sublimation. In cases where you cannot solve the problem, switch to another type of activity that brings pleasure. For example, hobbies, sports or creativity, where you can achieve results. Later, you will return to the unsolved problem with renewed vigor;
Reorientation. Change your attitude towards a person or object;
Idealization. If reality is very bad, turn on the music and try to daydream. Break away from reality. Watch the comedy or movie you like best;
Correction. Try to be objective about your Self;
Crowding out. If desires are unrealistic, try to suppress them or postpone them for a long time, switching to more achievable ones.

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Interestingly, the consequences of intrapersonal conflict are of the same "nature" as the confrontation itself. That is, it can have both a positive effect on a person and a negative one. In any case, the result will depend only on a particular person.

Negative consequences

A dead end in personal development, degradation is possible;
A constant state of stress, anxiety, suspiciousness, dependence on the opinions of other people and circumstances;
Disorganization in physiological and psychological terms;
Decreased activity;
The manifestation of polar qualities is submissiveness or aggressiveness. Often inferiority, uncertainty in their actions develops, the meaning of life is lost.

In society, behavior manifests itself as follows:

Inappropriate reaction to other people;
Isolation from other members of the group;
Blaming others for your failures.

If a person does not solve the causes of VC in time, there is a risk of developing psychological deviations of a neurotic nature. That is why it is important to turn to psychologists at any age if you cannot solve the situation.

Positive consequences

In the struggle, will and character are tempered. People who often overcome themselves to become strong are able to manage the inner resource;
Self-improvement, self-development and self-affirmation;
Intrapersonal intelligence develops;
The human psyche is more resistant to the influences of external stimuli. After several victories, a person is no longer afraid to accept a challenge and boldly goes into the struggle, improving his I.

As you can see, these kinds of challenges challenge us, but they have hidden growth potential. If you gather your courage or seek the help of specialists, they will help you eliminate the causes of intrapersonal conflict and make you stronger.

Intrapersonal conflict is a contradiction that occurs in a person for a number of reasons. The conflict is perceived as a serious emotional problem. An intrapersonal conflict requires special attention, strength to resolve it, and intensified internal work.

Reasons for internal conflicts:

applying old strategies in a new situation in which they will not work;
inability to make responsible decisions;
lack of information necessary to control the situation;
dissatisfaction with their own place in life;
lack of full communication;
self-esteem problems;
big commitments;
the inability to change the situation.

In order to accurately analyze an intrapersonal conflict and find a way to resolve it, it must be remembered that the main reason is the pressure of the social environment on the individual.

The entire group of intrapersonal conflicts can be divided into two subgroups:

appearing due to objective contradictions that affect the inner world of the individual (this includes moral conflicts, adaptation, etc.)
appearing due to the discrepancy between the inner world of the individual and the surrounding world (conflicts associated with self-esteem or motivation).

The resolution of intrapersonal conflict is associated with the acquisition of new qualities. An individual must reconcile his own inner world with the environment, society. She must develop the habit of not being so acutely aware of contradictions. There are two options for overcoming intrapersonal conflict - constructive and destructive. The constructive version allows you to get a new quality of life, to achieve harmony and peace of mind, to realize life more deeply and more accurately. Overcoming internal conflict can be understood by reducing negative socio-psychological factors, by the absence of painful sensations that previously arose due to the conflict, by improving the state and increasing efficiency.

All people deal with their intrapersonal conflicts in different ways. It depends on their individual qualities and temperament. The latter affects the speed and stability of experiences, their intensity. It also depends on temperament whether the conflict will be directed inward or outward. In each person, intrapersonal conflict manifests itself in different ways.

Ways to resolve intrapersonal conflicts:

Change of the chosen strategy

Many people are often unable to change the way they perceive and think in a new situation. We adhere to similar behavior, trying to deceive ourselves that the situation does not require drastic changes. It is necessary not only to learn how to analyze the facts, but also to be aware of your own attitude to the problem. Each time, ask yourself if the chosen behavior strategy is relevant for a particular case. If you need to change your approach, you need to act. Then the inner conflict of the personality will be resolved constructively.

Ability to deal with tension

When realizing the conflict, the inability to follow the requirements of a particular situation, minor mental trauma may occur. It will become a trigger that can fundamentally change the approach to solving a problem and attitudes towards it. The person begins to show hypertrophied qualities. If earlier he was mobile, now he will behave fussy and chaotic. If earlier he was irritable, now hot temper will become the main feature. Mild anxiety can turn into fear. Circumstances force a person to behave aggressively. Often, with an intrapersonal conflict, complexes appear. A person begins to invent the reasons for his own failure and withdraws into himself.

To find a constructive way to get rid of internal conflict, you need to be aware of your own problems. Everyone has difficulties, but only those who understand the existence of problems can fight them. It is necessary to achieve harmony between spiritual and physical condition, communication and imagination. Physical relaxation has a positive effect on the stability of the mental state. To normalize the work of the psyche, you need to follow simple steps.

Margaret Thatcher wrote about them. She said that after a hard day at home, all the problems seemed to pile up on her, brought to tears. She relieved spiritual tension by simple household chores - ironing or putting dishes in the closet. This made it possible to bring the psyche back to normal, to relax.

Finding the best moment to act

If there is a lack of information that does not allow action, it is worth waiting a little. However, this expectation turns out to be too tedious. In this case, it is worth giving yourself the installation to wait for the right moment. This setting will relieve constant anxiety and make it easier to endure the wait. Often, waiting literally eats up choleric people who are incapable of long-term inactivity. But people of other temperaments can break loose and start acting in inappropriate conditions. This is how errors appear. Remember the rule - if you do not know what to do, then it is better to do nothing. This will save you from mistakes. Later, you will receive the necessary information and determine the optimal moment to take active action.

Waiting for the result

Not everyone is able to wait not only for the right moment, but also for the result of their actions. Impatience makes you think of something so that it appears sooner. This is due to the uncertainty that all actions to achieve the desired result were completed on time. In this case, you need to give yourself the installation that the result will come by itself. So you can relieve the tension from uncertainty, better adapt to the conditions of expectation.

Praise yourself in difficult situations

Troubles and problems are the faithful companions of any business. Nothing can go smoothly. If you get into trouble, don't blame yourself or get upset. You need to understand that it will be better after. This creates an interval of calm. If a person realizes that soon all difficulties will go away, he has additional strength. This is necessary if your activity takes a long time to get the desired result. Pay attention not only to the end result, but also to the intermediate successes. Completing each stage deserves a reward. In difficult situations, humor often saves. You can get rid of sad thoughts, look at the situation from a different angle.

Learn to Usefully Experience Feelings of Isolation

Communication consists not only in communication with other people, but also in communication with oneself. If a person has a feeling of isolation, then he must analyze it, understand the reasons. There may be several reasons. If this is a decrease in self-esteem, then you need to remember your past achievements, then self-confidence will appear. If this is a deterioration in relations with colleagues or friends, then you need to restore intimacy, even if this requires concessions on your part or an apology.

Is it possible to constructively resolve internal conflict caused by the coercion of the situation? We all differ in love of freedom, but its scope depends on the personality and characteristics of her character. One must realize that social life is impossible in isolation from society itself. After that, you should compare the concessions with attitudes. If concessions do not violate the integrity of basic life values, then the conflict is unjustified. But the answer to this question is individual for everyone.

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