As with the frist edition, the book is based around the themes of structure and action. After the introductory chapters which examine the nature of theory and its role in the social world, the book then turns to theories of action and the inability of these theories to comprehend social structures in a coherent way.

Part I covers: Parson's structural-functionalism and the development of conflict theory and neofunctionalism; rational choice theory; symbolic interactionism; ethnomethodology and structuration theory.

Part II looks at structuralism, structuralist Marxism, and the development of post-structuralist and postmodernist theory.

Part III examines Critical Theory and the work of Jurgen Habermas.

In conclusion, Ian Craib discusses current trends in theory and what might be expected in the future.

The second edition has been revised througout. There are new chapters on rational choice theory and structuration theory and existing chapters have been extended to deal with the development of neofunctionalism, postmodernism and the recent works of Habermas as well as recent developments in other approaches.

Throughout, the aim of the book is to demystify a difficult subject area, emphasizing the practical and everyday nature of theoretical thinking in the context of making sense of a rapidly changing world.