Fully developed theories have three components: a worldview, explicit mechanisms and laws, and a modeling procedure. Building a theory with significant explanatory breadth and predictive power is a challenge. Thus, proto-theories with one or two components, but not all three, serve as valuable precursors, offering a foundation for developing more comprehensive theories. Here, we explore several longstanding social ‘theories’ focusing on their considerable strengths and identifying areas for growth. For instance, Balance theory employs a dynamic modeling procedure set in motion by a mechanism yet lacks specificity in its laws, leading to indeterminate predictions. By contrast, the mathematical formulations of Game and Rational Choice Theory excel in predictive precision but lack explicit models of social structure.