This accessible text introduces social theory as a set of flexible and practical concepts that can be used to reflect on and make sense of social behaviour. It encourages readers to critically assess social explanations and to construct their own as active theorists in their own right. Drawing on examples chosen to appeal to a wide, international student readership, it offers a straightforward, practical and student-centred approach to theory, avoiding the heavy emphasis on individual theorists and the often difficult language of many existing texts.