“Deviance is relative” is a controversial topic that has sparked debate among intrigued sociologists in order to reach a conclusion. Since there is no absolute standard application to deviant behavior, we can only gain knowledge through practical implications, main ideas, concepts, and processes. Practical Implications of “Deviance is Relative” There is no absolute way to define deviant acts. Deviance can only be defined in relation to certain standards, but no standard is permanent. Norms can involve adhering to stereotypical viewpoints. Counter-stereotype behavior can be considered an act of deviance; Phelan and Rudman defined backlash effects as “social and economic sanctions for counter-stereotype behavior” (2008). Phelan and Rudman concluded: “When stereotypes are violated, people notice. » I saw people notice two men holding hands. Phelan, JE and Rudman, LA provided some examples of the effects of deviance. One particular woman, puffing on a cylindrical roll of tobacco, sticks out like a sore thumb at a meeting. The testosterone-infused man crying in a food market can hold shoppers' eyes. Our curiosity is aroused whenever people deviate from social norms; subsequently, becoming the center of attention is not the only outcome (2010). Proven by researchers, Deviants can suffer social and economic sanctions. Punishment refers to positive or negative sanctions that follow deviant behavior, such as reward, trial, death, etc. Main Ideas, Real-World Examples, and Problems Deviance is reflected in the system of social control, the medicalization of deviance, and white-collar crime. The social control system can be defined as the formal and informal means of a group ...... middle of paper ......n cultural context and follow another cultural group with informal names. “Deviance is relative” has no set definition. definition. Deviance being relative, it varies from one society to another. Insanity may be acceptable in some countries, but it can lead to death in the United States. We can recognize deviance by seeing others disobey national laws.ReferencesMatsueda-Ross-L. (1982). Testing control theory and differential association: A causal modeling approach. American Sociological Review, 47(4), 489-504. Phelan, JE and Rudman, LA (2010). Reactions to ethnic deviance: The role of negative reactions in maintaining racial stereotypes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(2), 265-281. doi:10.1037/a0018304 Rosenfeld, R. (1989). The contributions of Robert Merton to the sociology of deviance.Sociological investigation, 59(4), 453-466.