Psychomachy

Psychomachy: a battle for the soul. The term comes from the Latin poem Psychomachia (c.AD400) by Prudentius, describing a battle between virtues and vices for the soul of Man. This depiction of moral conflict had an important influence on medieval allegory, especially in the morality plays.

from Chris Baldick, The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms (1990)