When men displayed sorrow or temper, it was often excused as external stress rather than a failure of character or impairment. When women did the same, they were more likely to be labeled as intrinsically flawed, weak, and unfit.
The most famous example of this bias can be found in the lives of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. The Lincolns were considered an unlikely pair. They came from starkly different worlds; she was highly educated, wealthy, and socially at ease, while he was self-taught, poor, and introverted. Yet in one essential respect, they were remarkably alike—both were brilliant, complex figures who grappled with mental illness. Mood swings and depression marked their lives, and they helped each other through the difficult spells.