Robert Todd Lincoln --The vitals

[Eva Elisabeth]

"And I would suppose that males would be the ones more likely to make the direct "threat" of institutionalization to their wife. But I also could see a female confidant saying something similar."

I just can say it's the typical "classic" kind of "helpless" parents reaction and threat (over here) to calm down a kid that acts up" and gets "out of control", and men I think tend to feel more helpless in dealing with emotional "outbreaks".