We occasionally experience internally conflicting needs, desires or beliefs. In such inner conflicts, when our "sub-personalities"
or "personas" have conflicting needs, we are not sure what to do or which decision to make.
Some examples of those conflicts are listed below. As you read through them, consider whether or not you have any similar
conflicts.
SOME SAMPLE CONFLICTS
Let us look at some examples of the inner conflicts that may disturb our peace.
1. One part of ourselves may feel we need to spend more time on our professional life while another part may believe we
should spend more time with our family.
2. A part of ourselves may want to open up to a conscious love relationship, while another part fears being abandoned,
hurt, suppressed, manipulated, or being unable to be ourselves in that relationship.
3. One part of ourselves may want to give those around us (children, spouses, friends) total freedom to pursue their happiness
in their own ways, while another part fears losing control.
4. The part of ourselves that wants to please others may come into direct conflict with our desire to satisfy our own
needs.
5. Part of ourselves may want others to support us, while the other feels restricted by their support or advice.
6. One part of ourselves may want spiritual growth, while another may feel the need for material security.
7. One part of ourselves may want to help loved ones or friends, but the other may feel that perhaps we are doing them
harm by continuously bailing them out and not letting them solve their own problems.
8. One part of ourselves may feel a need to protect the planet by living a simple life with very little consumption of
energy and products, while another part may want to enjoy all the comforts of an energy consuming, pollution producing lifestyle.
9. One part of ourselves may want to take a new job or leave a job that we have, while another part wants the opposite
for different reasons.
10. One part of ourselves may believe in cooperating with others, while another finds that difficult.
11. One part of ourselves may have a desire for various objects or situations as a source of pleasure, while another part
may feel, this is a sin, or that we are not spiritual if we partake of such pleasures. It may feel this type of pleasure seeking
is a waste of time and energy considering our spiritual goals.
12. One part of ourselves may feel the need to have an exclusive relationship in which our happiness and security depend
upon another person (usually a mate). Another part may find this an obstacle toward its need for independence, self-sufficiency,
and freedom.
13. Our need for personal love may conflict with our need to develop universal love.
14. Our need to forgive may conflict with our need to hold on to negative feelings toward someone.
15. Our need to employ various disciplines may conflict with our need to feel free to do whatever we please whenever we
choose.
16. Our need to follow our inner voice may conflict with our need to be like others and be accepted by them.
17. Our need to express our feelings as they are may conflict with our need not to hurt anyone.
18. Our need to express our real feelings and thoughts might clash with our need to have the others? acceptance.
19. Our need to follow a spiritual guide might conflict with our need to rebel against all types of advice or control.
20. Our need to control persons and situations in order to feel secure may conflict with our need to let things flow and
allow others to act freely.
21. Our need never to show weakness may conflict with our need to share our weaknesses with others or seek their help.
22. Our desire not to ask anything from others may conflict with our need to have their help and support.
23. Our need for a stable routine for our balance and growth may conflict with our need for variety and change.
24. Our need to play our familiar emotional relationship games may conflict with our desire to get free ourselves from
them.
25. One part of us wants to face and overcome our fears and blockages while another prefers to avoid and ignore them.
There are certainly conflicts, which we haven?t mentioned, but most will fall into these categories.
How these Personas are Created
Our various emotional survival mechanisms can lead to the development of diverse personas or sub-personalities within
our personality structure (we are not talking here about clinical illness such as multiple personality syndrome).
In response to early childhood experiences we develop various inner emotional responses in an effort to maintain our feelings
of security, self-worth, power and freedom. These then grow in their own separate ways, manifesting as parts of our personality
that have their own personal beliefs, logic and identity and power. We might call these roles "personas," or "sub-personalities."
Throughout this discussion we will refer to them as personas.
Each persona has it own core belief that creates and sustains its existence in our larger identity. This core belief will
coincide with our need for security, pleasure, affirmation or freedom, or in a few special cases, other less common needs,
such as the need to be useful, or to acquire self-knowledge or enlightenment. In some cases, the basic needs may be distorted
and work in conflict with survival or growth, as for example, with the need to harm ourselves or others.
In most cases, however, these personas are created by our needs to establish our safety and self-worth, usually through
other persons or possessions. (For a more detailed explanation of this process see The Psychology of Happiness.)
For more about this inner conflict reconciliation go to:
http://www.HolisticHarmony.com/research/innerconflicts.html
If we care for our bodies and minds, they will care for us.
Be Well
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***** Reference Box for Publishers *****
************************************
(Robert Elias Najemy's recently released book "The Psychology of Happiness" (ISBN 0-9710116-0-5) is available
at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/holisticharmo-20
and http://www.HolisticHarmony.com/psychofhappiness.html .
His writings can be viewed at http://www.HolisticHarmony.com where you can also download FREE articles and e-books.)
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