The “inner child” is a term used in therapy to describe the part of our inner life that reaches from childhood into adulthood. Roughly speaking, it refers to the influences we have consciously or unconsciously “carried with us” from our childhood years.
It is not to be understood literally as an inner child, but rather as a symbol for the childlike aspects of our personality that emerged from early influences.

Particularly relevant in the context of psychotherapy is the fact that many of the patterns and behaviors we exhibit as adults were essential for survival as children (for example, to avoid losing our parents’ affection). Very often, these were adaptive strategies, which thus had value, but in many cases are now a hindrance in adult life.