The term dissociation typically describes a psychological defense that protects the psyche from emotionally overwhelming events. Research also suggests dissociation contributes to the maintenance and restoration of relationships following traumatic stress and overwhelming social strain. One possible outcome of dissociation is social change. Through newly emerging social-emotional bonds dissociation is overcome, and in the process the soul is tended. Two aspects of late modern American society are shown to interfere with dissociation's contribution to social change and tending of soul. These are the Enlightenment conception of human nature on which American democracy is based, and America's sharp distinctions between public and private spheres of life. Hermeneutics, as a theory and methodology for the interpretation of texts and cultures, guides this research effort. Robert Romanyshyn's (2007) alchemical hermeneutics is also used, which highlights the soul's contributions to the hermeneutical search for meaning through the researcher's inclusion of imagery, self-reflections, and dreams.