Apparently there was one gift of the Holy Spirit that had become a particular problem: the gift of tongues. In Acts 2, it was used to preach to people who spoke other human languages the speaker didn’t know. Here, Paul seems to be talking about a prayer language. The people in the church of Corinth who could speak in tongues thought their gift was the most important, and they were favored by God. Paul points out that speaking in a language no one understands, including the speaker, isn’t very practical. The gift isn’t a bad one, but people who use it to make themselves appear important, while not benefitting others, have missed why the Spirit gives gifts.
The gift of tongues is still a point of discussion today, but any gift that is used selfishly is going to cause conflict. A person with the gift of administration could act like a dictator, or a prophet could claim God’s authority behind every opinion. The key for Christians is to consider how using their gift will benefit others and get rid of every selfish motive.