[Anxiety inhibitions]

At the border of normality and of pathology, anxious inhibitions can have a double function either positive or negative in the psychic balance of the subject. A distinction can be made between: -- the paroxystic anxious inhibitions and stage-fright is a good example of defensive part in front of a menance directed toward the integrity of the Ego, -- and lasting anxious inhibitions, such as intellectual and sexual inhibitions that can induce a true limitation of personality. A psychological and psychopharmacological parallel is evoked about alcohol, a "polyvalent psychotropic drug".