Corporal punishment and its effects in the present-day context are discussed based on a review of the literature. A new category is proposed, termed “invisible physical punishment”. Our thesis is that physical punishment even in its mildest forms might not be harmless, and can cause psychic pain. Such punishment has not been shown to be beneficial for child development. Historical ideas about pedagogy that supported physical punishment are discussed, together with their effects, and research data is presented that reveals it to be a broadly used technique. Psychic pain and other consequences for the structuring of the infantile mind are described from a psychoanalytic perspective, where it is understood that the use of corporal punishment is an expression of a relational style established by the parents.