Well I tell you what I learned from getting a thick ear back in the day... Respect
If you gave your parents lip you got punished for it, I remember falling out with my old man once and he chased me out the house and because I was faster than him he picked up a crate of empty milk bottles on the doorstep and hurled them at me... Getting the belt was also high on the agenda if you ever brought trouble to the door...
If you gave seniors any lip at school you could also expect to be on the floor nursing a big fat lip.... back in my day they were known as the school hard nuts, mouth off at them and pay the price.. If you were silly enough to give any lip to senior citizens then you were in proper trouble, most of the men were ex army and the women ex boxers and they were not afraid to dish it out or drag you home by your ear.. then you got double trouble
It taught me to respect people older than me and it has served me well over the years.. All them punishments, wether it was a thick ear, the belt, the cane at school or just a plain old slap kept me grounded in life, It meant I couldn't just do what I wanted or say whatever I liked just because I felt like it and I don't believe that I have any adverse phycological damage as a result...