An obstacle (also called a barrier, impediment, or stumbling block) is an object, thing, action or situation that causes an obstruction. Different types of obstacles include physical, economic, biopsychosocial, cultural, political, technological and military.

Types

Physical

As physical obstacles, we can enumerate all those physical barriers that block the action and prevent the progress or the achievement of a concrete goal. Examples:

Sports

In sports, a variety of physical barriers or obstacles were introduced in the competition rules to make them even more difficult and competitive:

Economic

Can be defined as those elements of material deprivation that people may have to achieve certain goals, such as:

Biopsychosocial and cultural

People are prevented to achieve certain goals by biological, psychological, social or cultural barriers, such as:

Political

Obstacles or difficulties which groups of citizens, their political representatives, political parties or countries interpose to each other in order to hinder the actions of certain of their opponents, such as:

Technological

The improvement of living conditions of any human community is constantly challenged by the need of technologies still inaccessible or unavailable, which can be internally developed or acquired from other communities that have already developed them, and in both cases must overcome such barriers as:

Military

When different communities or countries, which border or not, cannot develop good relations, for economic, cultural or political reasons, they may exceed the limits of diplomatic negotiations, creating military defensive or offensive obstacles to their opponents or enemies, such as:

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