In ‘The Chimp Paradox’ Professor Steve Peters describes a part of our brain as being chimp like.
It is the unevolved survival section that is in charge of your hunger, sex drive and anger to name a few.
It’s a primitive portion of your brain but unfortunately it’s 5 times more powerful than the evolved civilised section.
Therefore when you’re hungry the Chimp overpowers all else until it is fed.
Hence the term hangry.
Now a key distinction Prof. Peters makes is that when dealing with the chimp one should look to manage not suppress.
Let’s say for example that you can’t get to sleep because the Chimp is uneasy and continues to keep you up.
If you look to suppress by telling the chimp to ignore the feelings or get over it, it could lead to disaster down the line when years of suppressed anger pour out uncontrollably.
The trick, as Peters outlines, is to satisfy the chimps concerns in a civilised manner.
For example instead of telling the chimp to shut up and carry on, one should say:
‘Ok I hear you chimp, why don’t we voice our concerns tomorrow, tell them we don’t want to do it and if they don’t accept that well they can’t make us do it’
A combination of honesty and facts/truths.
Satisfying the powerful chimp in an adult manner prevents the Chimp taking over and ripping heads off, whether they deserve to be ripped off or not.
There you go!
Thought I would share that little insight I learned recently, in case it helped.
Thomas Duggan 