What is man vs. self conflict?

Man vs. self-conflict occurs when a character in a narrative has internal feelings that affect their relationships with other characters or motivate the character to behave in a certain way. This conflict may be limited to specific times in the story or occur throughout the entire narrative. Like all types of conflict, man vs. self-conflict prepares readers for the climax of the story.

A character experiencing this type of conflict may need to make an important decision to overcome his or her internal emotions. During the resolution of the story, the character's internal conflict typically gets resolved in a positive or negative way, although some stories may not provide this closure.