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This paper, based on the Eric Miller Memorial lecture, reflects on how aspects of society “out there” can show “close up” within individuals' daily lives. Of interest are episodes in which societal expectations emerge as intrinsic to times, spaces, and roles that constitute “fields” in peoples' lives. The author's model incorporates Kurt Lewin's idea of “total life space”, linked with Miller and Rice's use of boundaries in social systems, to focus on people in the institutions of their lives wherein they normally manage social expectations. However, the workings of society “close up” tend to escalate in situations of conflict between roles and expectations, threats in the face of tangible uncertainties, and shifts in the primary tasks of personal and working lives. Those involved find they are required to respond in order to prevent a loss of some kind. Case vignettes from the author's consulting practice and her own total life space illustrate how those going through a society “close up” episode responded to felt encroachments of societal expectations and evolved their behaviours and identities accordingly.