Book Review: The Chimp Paradox, by Prof Steve Peters
(5 min read)

Consultant psychiatrist and lecturer, Steve Peters, has enjoyed an illustrious career. This includes credits for the turnaround of the UK cycling team’s fortunes (eight gold medals at London Olympic Games), and other elite sports and corporate coaching. His ‘Chimp Model’ explains why we think and act as we do and assists with improving all departments of life. The Chimp Paradox is a mind management system written in accessible, easy, sometimes humorous language.

The structure of the book has 18 chapters and three appendices, and is divided into three parts:

• Your inner mind explored.
• Day-to-day functioning.
• Your health, success and happiness.

Using an astrological metaphor, Steve posits our psychological universe as made up of seven planets and orbiting moons. The first, most important, is the Divided Planet and Guiding Moon. The divided planet is home to your powerful, emotional, limbic Chimp and, rational, well-balanced Human. Both Chimp and Human are driven by different needs and instincts, hence the uneasy relationship. The Guiding Moon is the brain’s 'Computer' and functions as a stabilising force. The Computer runs programmes automatically. The Computer stores information of all kinds (beliefs, values, and genetics). The Computer gets us through our day. How well this proceeds is contingent upon how well it is maintained. Some programmes are hard-wired, difficult to shift ('Goblins'), and some, soft-wired, changeable/removable ('Gremlins'). The Computer houses values and life purposes within, what Steve refers to as The Stone of Life.

There are more elements offered for consideration, but the essential deal with The Chimp Paradox is that the Chimp is more powerful than the Human; the Chimp runs on reactionary emotional reasoning, and the Human cannot beat it, but the Human can learn to nurture and manage the Chimp. We know insight is the precursor for change and this book provides excellent, simple tools to achieve this. It espouses sensible realism with truths such as ‘life is not fair’, ‘goalposts move’, and ‘in life, there are no guarantees’.

In Part Two, The Guiding Moon, Steve teaches how to maintain the Computer (replacing 'Gremlins' with 'Autopilots'). The Autopilot is the constructive, helpful, behaviour - the resourceful programme. For example, he suggests we can replace a Gremlin strategy: 'I have to make a good impression', with an Autopilot strategy: 'I can only be myself, and what they make of that is up to them'.

Overall, the ideal is to have the authentic Human, and a managed, contained Chimp, being served by an Autopilot-laden Computer. The Computer, Chimp and Human are presented as three brains with different operating speeds. The Computer thinks 20 times faster than the Human, and four times faster than the Chimp. All three have the potential to be constructive or destructive.

Moving to engagement in the wider world, Steve brings us to the 'planet of others'. This deals with relationships with others in different contexts. Here, within the various descriptions of types of different personalities and mindsets (including personality disorders), the injunction is to move beyond self-referencing and seek to understand the variety, the differences out there. Steve says it’s important to not make assumptions about others, to try not to have preconceived expectations of others and to beware of prejudice.

When it comes to networking, there is a dedicated chapter: The Troop Moon. This planet represents the people who support you. Both Chimp and Human benefit from Troop membership. The Chimp needs it, the Human wants it. In selecting the Troop, there are differing priorities with the Human recruiting for collaborative alliances, while the Chimp is recruiting for strength and resources. The Human uses logic and humanity and the Chimp relies on emotions and feelings. The risk of imbalance is evident, so pre-defining your Troop is as important as ensuring the Human does the choosing.

In terms of communication between people, the ideal is clearly identified here as Human to Human. Clearly, Chimp to Chimp communication means emotionally charged engagement. In practice, we can move between Human and Chimp within the same interaction. Tempers flare and reason diminishes. Steve offers a 'square of communication', which includes the right time, the right place, the right agenda, the right way, with the right person in the centre of his square. The person in the centre is critical. Engaging with someone who is not the appropriate one to discuss matters with only makes things worse.

He then describes useful skills for difficult situations such as the use of 'I' statements, assertive communication, win-win interaction strategies, as well as considerations of tone, volume, cadence of voice. There is also consideration of body language and its impact on the communication experience.

In the latter part of the book, there is general guidance on 'How to look after your health'. Within his continuing astrological metaphors, this is called 'The Planet of Shadows and the Asteroid Belt'. This planetary system addresses physical and mental wellness. Interestingly, in this section, Steve distinguishes between malfunction and dysfunction where malfunction means you are ill and will need medical attention to treat the illness. Managing the Chimp, while medically unwell, is simply very difficult to achieve until recovery is secured. The Asteroid Belt represents malfunction, illness. Dysfunction refers to the ’machine’ working just fine but being poorly used. This is what is meant by 'Planet of Shadows', and it is acknowledged that we are all dysfunctional to some extent.

The Planet of Success and its Three Moons is the title of chapter 14. This encourages defining what success actually means and understanding that the Human and Chimp will define success differently. The Chimp will focus on material acquisitions while the Human will most likely focus on developing personal qualities. Chasing Chimp success can lead to ultimate disappointment when one realises that this was not really desired by the rational Human.

In considering success, interestingly Steve points to possible 'levels of success'. Partially succeeding in attempting to achieve a goal can serve as the reality check around what is realistically achievable. If we choose the Human’s definition of success, then, as long as we try, we cannot fail to be successful, as long as we do our best at the time. One of the moons of the planet of success is the 'CORE Moon'. C.O.R.E stands for Commitment, Ownership, Responsibility, and Excellence.

The 'Planet of Happiness' explores what is meant by happiness and briefly explains how different chemicals are released in the brain within the experience of happiness as distinct from, say, anxiety. There is consideration of the larger project of regularly managing all planets to support happiness. Steve indicates that the thoughts in our head and our approach to life are outcomes of choices made. Getting troublesome things out ('letting the Chimp have a quiet scream') can be helpful in part, but practical solutions are needed. Happy people find and address the cause of problems when possible.

Throughout the book, Steve alludes to the important roles of choice and skill. It is useful to realise how much choice most of us really have in doing life. The skill lies in how we use these choices. Although it has been around for some time now, The Chimp Paradox remains as a useful addition for the therapist interested in helping clients build personal resourcefulness.

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George Owen is a hypnotherapist based in Sydney, Australia. With a long-standing passion for adult education, George has been lecturing within the behavioural science arena for over two decades.

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