The human psyche is much more complicated than it seems at first glance. Encountering hundreds and thousands of people on their way, it’s hard to imagine that each of them is a whole Universe, which is stored in such a seemingly unpretentious vessel; the whole world with its problems, doubts and feelings. This was said even by ancient philosophers and doctors, assuming that human behavior is difficult to predict, and it is influenced by a huge number of very different factors.
All these factors can push a person to actions in different - sometimes opposite - directions. And when a particularly strong confrontation is reached, the person is completely lost, closes in himself and does not imagine in which direction to move on. This state of modern psychology is called intrapersonal conflict .
While previously it was believed that all human experiences are caused by imperfections in our world, modern psychologists tend to see the problem not only outside, but also inside the person. The first to draw attention to the notorious Freud.
Freud's intrapersonal conflict - this is a struggle between what a person considers pleasure for himself and what is considered moral or just right in society. Usually, a person manages to make the right decisions without much thought and doubt, however, especially difficult situations sometimes happen, and the opposition “it” (human instincts) with “beyond me” (morality) causes an intrapersonal conflict . Whatever decision a person makes, he will still suffer from doubt and, possibly, guilt. So is there a universal recipe for decision-making in difficult situations that can help avoid intrapersonal conflict?
Let's try to analyze the conflict. It is impossible to be guided solely by one’s own interests. If a person follows this path, then he will become a complete criminal, whom most people will hate. Even if he does not feel any remorse from his actions, repentance will overtake him anyway, and the intrapersonal conflict from the realization that he had done terrible things will flare up with particular force.
It is impossible to get rid of the “beyond me”, however, it is also impossible to completely delete one’s own interests, being guided exclusively by altruism. Moreover, a person who betrays himself all to a common cause can be truly dangerous. This was noted by psychologists who worked after Freud, who pointed to the terrifying crazy behavior of a person in the crowd, especially in wartime. Thus, it is necessary to seek a middle ground.
And this middle ground is based on the principle of taboo. A person knows for sure what he should not do and will never do. However, even for a person living according to strict internal laws, an intrapersonal conflict can still flare up if you have to choose between two monstrous decisions. A classic example of this situation is the case with the switchman, who had to send his son to death in order to prevent a train accident. In this situation, there was no right decision, since in both cases the result was catastrophic for this particular person. And although the death of his son meant more to him than the death of strangers, he could not afford to become a killer.
Fortunately, not every person has to face such situations, but the intrapersonal conflict, to one degree or another, is familiar to everyone. Of course, it is very unpleasant to find yourself in such a situation, but if you have already got into it, try to come out with honor, because according to psychologists, intrapersonal conflict is necessary for the formation of a person as a person.