Sentence:  The child with high anxiety may first direct his <WSD>anxiety</WSD> released energy toward achievement , but because his distress severely reduces the abilities of discrimination and memorization of complex symbols , the child may fail in his initial attempts to master the problem . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic