Moral defence

Fairbairn's name for the child's way of keeping bad parents good by taking their badness on itself. A child who depends on parents who neglect or mistreat it would rather be bad in a world ruled by good objects than good in a world ruled by bad ones, so it comes to feel guilty and unworthy instead of helpless. Fairbairn saw this as a source of deep, stubborn guilt and of loyalty to abusive figures.