Your article IS a good summary, and I was actually surprised that ‘Chimp’, instead of Cheetah, is in usage. The Chimp also resembles the automatic negative thoughts described in Beck’s Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

When the psychiatrist worked in British cycling he had a rule that athletes could come to him and “let their chimp out” – but they had to complain for 15 minutes non-stop. Each of us has a psychological Chimp inside our brains, primitively reacting to the world and prompting us to act emotionally, impetuously, and irresponsibly.Steve shows readers how 10 habits can help children to understand and manage their emotions and behaviour. Many of them make people feel ready to handle it while, for real, they are the only ignorants who fumble and babble at best. If you’re having emotional, distressed thoughts, more blood flows to the limbic lobe—leading to your Chimp thinking. The second is to discuss with her what might happen if things do feel different or unfamiliar or things don’t stick to time? If you have a strong foundation of positive helpful beliefs and values, when your Chimp looks to your computer it’s calmed by the new situation.

My hope is that by taking time to understand how my inner chimp, and the inner chimp of those around me thinks, I can use this information to build my own emotional intelligence which in turn will help me to achieve my own goals and objectives. I’m extraordinarily grateful for the help and support during a challenging time, both to the Anxiety UK and my Professional Institute, The Chartered Institute of Building and their respected benevolent fund. A great book for any parent, or anyone who works closely with children, something for everyone and most definitely worth a read. If you are measuring success against your values – rather than what car you own or how much you earn – then building self-esteem is in your own hands. It is a primitive part of who we all are and is made up of our most primitive instincts, drives and reflexes.

Is there a relation between the “inner child”, as described in recovery and trauma literature, and the concept of the “inner chimp”? Worry and anxiety is on the increase among children and following the recent Children's Mental Health Week we asked parents to share their concerns over their kids with us - and give us their questions to put to Steve.