ABSTRACT
Talcott Parsons coined the term 'the action frame of reference' for sociological theory which was stated in these terms and it is convenient to classify his own work, together with that of Max Weber and that of most economic theorists, under this heading. The difficulty, however, lies in giving more than a residual definition of social facts. They are external to the individual and they are not simply physical in their nature. The key term which had to be analysed in the new microsociology was really the term 'social relation'. All other terms like group, association and institution seem to be thought of, if they are not thought of mystically, as networks of social relations. Sociology, then, is the study of social relations. But social relations are not themselves directly observable phenomena. They are relatively complex theoretical constructs which enable us to predict and explain human behaviour.
