We introduce the notions of proto-complete, complete, complete* and strong-complete objects in pointed categories. We show under mild conditions on a pointed exact protomodular category that every proto-complete (respectively complete) object is the product of an abelian proto-complete (respectively complete) object and a strong-complete object. This together with the observation that the trivial group is the only abelian complete group recovers a theorem of Baer classifying complete groups. In addition we generalize several theorems about groups (subgroups) with trivial center (respectively, centralizer), and provide a categorical explanation behind why the derivation algebra of a perfect Lie algebra with trivial center and the automorphism group of a non-abelian (characteristically) simple group are strong-complete.
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