Swansea's class of 2011 could become the first team in the fixture's 82-year history to complete the league double in Sunday's Liberty Stadium showdown.
Four players have been sent off in the last seven south Wales derbies.
"The atmosphere is pretty crazy and it is hard not to get sucked in and involved," admits Whittingham.
"Like flying into tackles and doing silly and reckless things.
"We can't do that, we must use our heads as we know if we play our best on the day we will get the three points."
Whittingham is confident despite third-placed Swansea being two places higher than his Cardiff in the Championship and the Bluebirds not winning in Wales' second city since 1997.
Cardiff are undefeated in four games but have not won on the road since 13 November.
While the hosts are hoping for their fourth successive home league win - and Brendan Rodgers' men have not conceded in that impressive run.
Swansea won the reverse fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium 1-0 but Whittingham is positive even though the Swans have such a daunting clean sheet record this season with 14 shutouts.
Cardiff City manager Dave Jones is not going 'loopy'
The Cardiff winger hopes their formidable strike-force of Jay Bothroyd, Craig Bellamy and Michael Chopra - with him and Arsenal loanee Aaron Ramsey providing the ammunition - will be good enough to defeat the in-form Swans.
"We've seemed to fair well against teams around us," said last season's Championship top-scorer.
"They have good players as you don't get third by not being a good team but it is about us as our midfielders and strikers are one of the best, if not the best, in the league.
"We just want to show what we're about against Swansea."
Cardiff midfielder Stephen McPhail, an injury doubt for Sunday's clash, has been sent off in two of their three visits to the Liberty Stadium since the derby hostilities were renewed after a nine-year absence.
While Tom Butler and Leon Britton have also been dismissed for the Swans in recent matches between the two arch rivals.
"We know it is a massive game and not just because they are third and we're fifth," said Whittingham.
"It is a massive game in its own right as both fans want the bragging rights.
"It is hard to keep calm and play your natural game when the atmosphere is so intense.
"But it is part of being a footballer, these are the games you want to play in."
It is hard to keep calm and play your natural game when the atmosphere is so intense
Cardiff City winger Peter Whittingham
Whittingham has featured in a second city derby for Aston Villa, a Lancashire derby for Burnley and latterly the south Wales derby for Cardiff.
And it will be a case of friends reunited for Whittingham on Sunday when he goes head-to-head with good friend Luke Moore.
The new Swans striker and Cardiff's playmaking general were team-mates when Aston Villa beat Wayne Rooney's Everton over two-legs in the 2002 FA Youth Cup final.
"We've been having a bit of banter on the text," joked Whittingham.
"He is a good lad and a top player but there will be no friendships on Sunday."
Source: BBC Sport
Source: BBC Sport