Is behavioral inhibition related to the anxiety disorders?

Following a brief summary of extant research on behavioral inhibition (BI), evidence for its relationship to the anxiety disorders is examined critically. BI is a behavioral syndrome that is identifiable at an early age and, at the extreme, appears to be stable from infancy to at least early childhood. Although there is some evidence to suggest that BI is a characteristic behavioral response style, the available data indicate that it is not immutable, but rather is governed to some extent by environmental factors. Additionally, current data suggest likelihood of a limited relationship between BI and anxiety disorders, in particular to conditions characterized by maladaptive social anxiety. However, the exact nature of this relationship has yet to be elucidated. Several hypotheses are put forth as to how BI might be related to the anxiety disorders.