In this paper Rosemary Gordon-Montagnon states and explores the idea that conflict is at the centre of all dynamic conceptions of human psychology and at the centre of the theories of all analytical schools. She reminds us of the first conflict of man, which led to his expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

The first part of the paper is a short historical survey of the different analytical theories on the sources of the basic conflict: pleasure principle against reality principle; self conservation against sexual instinct; and life instinct against death instinct. Originally conflicts were thought to arise out of an opposition between two instincts, but as ego psychology became more developed, analysts discovered the presence of conflicts between the id and the ego and the id and the super-ego. Furthermore, Jung added another