Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular than it should be. 

Normalisation, or social normalisation, is the process through which ideas and behaviors that may fall outside of social norms come to be regarded as "normal". In sociological theory, normalisation appears in two forms.

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First, the concept of normalisation is found in the work of Michel Foucault, especially Discipline and Punish, in the context of his account of disciplinary power. As Foucault used the term, normalisation involved the construction of an idealized norm of conduct – for example, the way a proper soldier ideally should stand, march, present arms, and so on, as defined in minute detail – and then rewarding or punishing individuals for respectively conforming to or deviating from this ideal.

 

In Foucault's account, normalisation was one of an ensemble of tactics for exerting the maximum social control with the minimum expenditure of force, which Foucault calls "disciplinary power". Disciplinary power emerged over the course of the 19th century, came to be used extensively in military barracks, hospitals, asylums, schools, factories, offices, and so on, and hence became a crucial aspect of social structure in modern societies.

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Second, normalisation process theory is a middle-range theory used mainly in medical sociology and science and technology studies to provide a framework for understanding the social processes by which new ways of thinking, working and organizing become routinely incorporated in everyday work. Normalisation process theory has its roots in empirical studies of technological innovation in healthcare, and especially in the evaluation of complex interventions.

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There are different behavioral attitudes humans accept as normal, such as grief for a loved one, avoiding danger, and not participating in cannibalism.