Final answer:
Marcel Mauss believed that social facts are phenomena that exist outside of individual consciousness and exert a social constraint on individuals.
Step-by-step explanation:
Marcel Mauss was a French sociologist who had a significant contribution to the study of social facts. He believed that social facts are phenomena that exist outside of individual consciousness and are capable of exerting a social constraint on individuals. Mauss argued that social facts are not simply external to individuals, but they are internalized and become part of individual consciousness through socialization.