Positive Attitudes Toward Corporal Punishment and Growth in Sports Clubs: Post-Retirement Reinterpretations Observed in a Case Study

Abstract

This study utilizes the methods of cultural anthropology to examine positive attitudes toward corporal punishment in sports clubs in a case study of the boys’ handball club of B High School. The vast majority of the club members did not indicate a positive attitude toward corporal punishment at the time that they were subjected to it, and they interpreted it in diverse ways. However, in a different context, after retirement from the club, the former members now reinterpret their experiences of the sports club, including the corporal punishment, as having a positive value, namely providing growth. Thus, it appears that the finding that persons subjected to corporal punishment are more likely to have strongly positive attitudes toward it, as seen in previous studies, overlooked these attitudes’ possible time-dependent aspect due to methodological limitations. The perception of growth that engenders positive attitudes toward corporal punishment, as clarified by this study, may bear a similarity to the significance of sports club activities as cited by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. This relevance requires careful examination and remains an issue for future research.