"This emotional stability allows for optimal outcome of personality and is representative of greater maturity of moral judgment and a healthier pyschological state."
In a study conducted regarding nurturance, subjects were tested when given a small kitten to play with. Subjects included masculine, feminine and androgynous males and females. Feminine and androgynous males played more with the kitten than did feminine females which did not follow according to the expectations of the researchers. Other factors such as the effects of cat hair and sharp claws on clothes had to be taken into consideration to account for these findings. The same group were then tested with a human baby and a college student. Both feminine and androgynous men and women were more nurturing than masculine males and females towards the baby. Females, in general, were more nurturing toward the college student than males (Hoyenga 222).
Emotional stability is a strong characteristic of androgynous people. While being able to possess feminine emotional abilities, such as being able to convey nurturance and empathy towards others, at the same time masculine emotional abilities, such as stability and reasoning, can also be present. The beneficial outcomes of a "dual" emotional state are greater contributors to psychological stability than those outcomes of stereotypical feminine and masculine emotional states.
