Now that the abused child has split off memories of abuse, they have a second equally significant problem, which is to create an illusion for themself that they are living in a safe environment. Splitting is the perfect defense for the abused child because not only is it able to isolate the unacceptable aspects of the parents in the unconscious, but, equally importantly, it is able to create a fantasy-based view of the parent out of their neglectful, indifferent or abusive parent(s). This psychological mechanism begins when the child selectively takes those few moments of attention or tenderness that has been shown to them by their parent and magnifying them and creating a “better parent” . The process is the same, in that the few positive incidents from the real parent are split off from the actual parent, and are forced into their unconscious as well. This view of the parent (which is unrealistic) is enhanced by the child’s unmet needs and use of fantasy. The child holds a view that somewhere in their parent's heart there is a hidden storehouse of love, if they only knew how to reach it. This fantasy-based view of the parent is called the Exciting Object in Fairbairn’s model, as the child feels excitement when they fantasize that they have a loving parent. The child’s part-ego (or self) that relates to the Exciting Object is called the “Libidinal Ego”. In Fairbairn’s model, Libidinal means loving. Fairbairn had seen children with libidinal fantasies in the orphanage where he worked from 1927-1935. For a full discussion of the splitting defense, and Fairbairn’s structural theory see Celani, 2010. The two pairs of unconscious structures do not know about each other, which allows the child to relate to the parent as if [they were two different people. The splitting defense prevents the integration of good and bad object images into a single ambivalent object, which is a key developmental milestone.