If you ask me, yelling and calling names, which most parents do as "discipline" is what truly leaves scars on the psyche of a child. My mother may have smacked me with my own leather belt. My recalled feelings on that are mild compared to the names the grandmother called me! My mother's "spanking" made me angry. The grandmother's words eventually made me think "if I have the name, I might as well play the game." That left a farther reaching effect on me than any beating with my own leather belt!