My Hidden Chimp: From the best-selling author of The Chimp Paradox

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I have two children (6 and 4) and had tried to explain a bit about the 2 systems to them but with limited success. I particularly thought it would help my eldest as he can struggle behaviourally and experiences extreme emotions but he didn’t fully internalise what system 1 /​ system 2 meant. Then I heard that Prof Steve Peters had released a children’s book based on his chimp model and I was intrigued enough to get it for him as a Christmas present. I realise that it is likely that it may not work quite as well with every child. The book could have been written with my son in mind so if it was going to work for anyone it was going to work for him. Even some adults see this as a weakness. It is, in fact, a wise person who learns from others, says Peters. Part of children learning to be independent involves knowing what kind of help they need: a sounding board, information, ideas, support, for example. Sometimes people fear being seen as silly or stupid - but in fact, making errors is a great way to learn. Habit 6: Showing good manners I would understand if others took a different point of view (I’m not 100% convinced mysel) so I’ve just described it and will let you decide how happy you would be with the framing given. My Hidden Chimp; Helping children to understand and manage their emotions, thinking and behaviour with ten helpful habits. Prof Steve Peters

It had so much success that even Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy says that he wouldn’t have won gold at the Beijing Olympics without understanding his inner chimp. If you are doing something new - making a speech, taking an exam, a job interview - your fear of failure (hello Chimp!) can get in the way. However, this fear is often not of the failure itself but of not being able to cope with its consequences. ‘Our Chimp brain is fooling us into believing that any failure means that life can’t go on.’ As adults we can challenge this with logic, but we have to help children do this. Praise yourself and a child for effort, rather than achievement to build self-esteem. Programme your computer: ‘achieving your best on the day is all that you can try for and hope that it happens.’ Habit 8: Accepting that ‘no’ means ‘no’! It’s liberating for both children and adults to know we’re not mad or bad, it’s just our minds need managing. And as we are unique, some people’s minds need more managing. ‘People come in and they will say to me things like, “I’m a really anxious person”,’ says Peters. ‘In scientific terms, that’s not factually true.’ He explains it like this: ‘the body and mind you’ve been put into, is prone to going towards anxiety.’ Manage your mind, and ‘you’ll find you’re not an anxious person, you’ve just got an anxious machine.’ On a practical point, it might be worth restricting the amount of fluid he is drinking a few hours prior to going to bed. This might help to cut down the frequent loo trips.

7. Smile to show the chimp who’s boss

I would try to help her to understand that we all feel this way to some extent and this is the way our minds are programmed to work. Her mind is doing a great job of trying to protect her and keep her secure. The book states that it can be read by the child on their own or with an adult. I would suggest that (for younger readers especially) the book should be read with an adult as I feel misunderstanding the content could have negative effects. Potential Criticisms

One of the most convincing things about Peters’ theories is their non-revelatory quality. We know that discussing a child’s behaviour with them while they are mid-tantrum is self-defeating. We know the act of smiling makes you feel happier and affects how people respond to you. The book simply serves as a reminder as to how we can use this knowledge to our advantage. Before reading the book I could often see how his mind was working when he did lose control and could tell that he was desperately searching for ways that he could still be in the right. Then afterwards you could see how confused he was with himself and he couldn’t figure out why he’d done what he did. Now he feels like he understands what went wrong and how he can do better next time. When we talk about the inner chimp during our coaching sessions, it’s incredible to see the clarity and transformation it can create. If you can tolerate these behaviours until she makes moves forward I think she is likely to be much happier. This is really about empowering and encouraging the child." Parent 5An adult explanation of the chimp model is given in Peters’ previous book The Chimp Paradox. The Chimp model is expressed as the human (frontal lobe, a.k.a blue brain) and the chimp (limbic system, a.k.a red brain). My Hidden Chimp goes into less depth but explains how a chimp has a very small blue blue brain so it mainly decides things with its red brain, hence calling it your chimp. The human (blue brain, “You”) is the you that you really want to be. Fear of failure, procrastination, being unkind to others: what if we could help children train their brains to avoid these habits and embed more helpful ones instead? Habits such as smiling more, sharing and avoiding tantrums. According to psychiatrist Professor Steve Peters, all this is totally within our reach - it’s just a question of managing your chimp. Ask them to draw a brain with a line down the middle. On one side, draw the cheeky chimp that they picture in their head. The book also functions as a workbook as it includes space to respond to the messages, for example by listing how you want to feel and behave and how you don’t. It encourages the child to name their Chimp and gives them practical tips to help develop new skills like a three-step guide for what to do when you can’t accept that no means no. For me, the children’s book is the star of the two. Written in comic book style, it uses very child-friendly language (my seven-year-old could read it with ease) and is clearly designed to be used over time rather than devoured in one sitting.