I once heard a very nice alternative idea in the name of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach who in turn, quotes the main crux from the Belzer Rebbe - Rabbi Aharon Rokeach
By way of introduction, anyone who is involved in kiruv (outreach) will tell you that it is not the best educational practice to wallop a teen at risk. If you hurt them, they are more likely to veer off in the opposite direction!
The Belzer Rebbe teaches that the metzius of the world is made up of both a pnimius (internal) and chitzonius (external) manifestation, an inner and outer essence.
The Rasha is written as ר-שׁ-ע. The outer letters spell ר-ע - evil. On the surface level, this person appears as all bad. But the reality is that this is only a reflection on the outside! The שׁ, the central letter, is comprised of three branches. Each branch is symbolic of the three forefathers of the Jewish People, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. Three individuals who helped to shape and guide our religion.
Every Jew, no matter how far they have strayed, still have access to the "pintele" yid, the simple, innocent spark of yiddushkeit. Therefore, when we say "הקההאתשיניו", we are advising that we need to delicately, and lovingly, get him to tap into his "shin". In so doing, it will hopefully reawaken a desire to engage with his Judaism and continue that sense of heritage.