Faculty Profile for Dr. Rael Morley

profile photo for Dr. Rael Morley
Dr. Rael Morley
Associate Professor — School of Social Work
ENC 150A
phone: (512) 245-2592
Scholarly/Creative Work
Awards
Grants
Service

Biography Section

Biography and Education

 Richard (Rick) Morley holds a Doctorate in Educational Psychology with an emphasis on Culture, Human Development, and Learning from the University of Texas. Dr. Morley’s research focus relates to the impact of mindfulness meditation on criminality, aggression, antisocial behavior, and brain networks associated with violence. Dr. Morley has published multiple articles and has spoken at a variety of professional conferences concerning the intersection of violence, criminality, and self-compassion. Also, he has conducted professional talks on several related topics including mindfulness, mental health, religiosity, self-compassion, and antisocial personality disorder.

Dr. Morley arrived in the Austin area after he graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Corrections from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Soon after his arrival in the Austin area, he went to work as a Parole Officer for the Parole Division of Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He left working for the Parole Division to pursue his Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development at Texas State University. Following his graduation, Dr. Morley became a placement specialist at Goodwill Industries of Central Texas where he helped former inmates find jobs. He transitioned into part-time employment to pursue his Ph.D. Also, he served as Chair of the Evidence Base Practice Subcommittee of Travis County Reentry Roundtable.


My name is Richard (Rick) Morley. I am the internship coordinator for the Department of Criminal Justice where I teach research methods and statistics to undergraduate and graduate students. I also publish on the impact of mindfulness meditation on criminality, aggression, antisocial behavior, and brain networks associated with violence. I developed this interest based on my experiences as an avid meditator, a parole officer, and a caseworker for ex-offenders. These experiences inspired me to cultivate an interdisciplinary approach to investigate mindfulness interventions as an antidote to violence.

Research Interests

 Brain Networks associated with Violence
Self-Concept, Self-Awareness, and Antisocial Behavior
Mindfulness Meditation and Violent Criminality

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Morley, R. H., & Fulton, C. L. (2020). The impact of mindfulness meditation on self-compassion and self-esteem among prisoners. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 59(2), 98–116.
  • Morley, R. H., Jantz, P., & Graham, R. (2019). The Salience Network structures as a mediator of violence and perceptions of hostility. Neuropsychological Trends, 7–20.
  • Morley, R. H., Taylor, M. J., & Mason, M. (2024). Beyond Code of the Street and Psychopathic Features: Black Masculinity and Self-Compassion. Journal of Black Psychology, 50(4), 476–502. https://doi.org/10.1177/00957984241252266
  • Morley, R. H., Fulton, C. L., Bowman, S. W., & Trujillo, L. T. (2023). Exploring the Intersection of Mindfulness, Race Related Threat Perception Failure, and the Use of Deadly Force. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology.
  • Morley, R. H., Jantz, P. B., Fulton, C. L., & Trujillo, L. T. (2023). Objective Self-Awareness Theory and Violence: A Brain Network Perspective. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology.

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: Nontenure Line Faculty Workload Release, Texas State University. 2016 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Award Scholarly and Creative Activities, College of Applied Arts Texas State University. August 2015 - Present

Selected Grants

  • Clary, Kelly Lynn (Principal), Morley, Richard H (Co-Principal), Metsis, Vangelis (Co-Principal), Trujillo, Logan Thomas (Co-Principal), Smith, Kenneth Scott (Co-Principal), Goffnett, Jacob (Co-Principal), Gagnon, Oscar (Co-Principal). Exploring Psychophysiological and Perceived Health-Related Behaviors During and After Gender Affirming and Non-Affirming Language Among Transgender People Within a Virtual Reality Setting, Multidisciplinary Internal Research Grant Program (MIRG), Texas State University, $28110. (Submitted: January 30, 2021, Funded: May 15, 2021 - May 15, 2022). Grant.
  • Morley, Richard H (Principal), Smith, Kenneth Scott (Co-Principal), Metsis, Vangelis (Co-Principal), Trujillo, Logan Thomas (Co-Principal), Fulton, Cheryl Lisa (Co-Principal), Jantz, Paul B (Co-Principal), Bowman, Scott W (Co-Principal), Roche, Sean Patrick (Co-Principal). Exploring the intersection of mindfulness, stress, large-scale brain networks, bias, threat perception failure, and the decision to use deadly force using virtual reality, Texas State University, $16000. (Submitted: October 30, 2019, Funded: November 9, 2019 - Present). Grant.
  • Jantz, Paul B. (Principal), Morley, Richard H. (Co-Principal). NIH Blueprint: Human Connectome Project data analysis: The link between brain networks and known predictors of violence, Texas State University, $16000. (Submitted: October 2016, Funded: January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2018). Grant.
  • Hawkins, Catherine A (Principal), Morley, Richard H (Co-Principal), Selber, Shirley K (Co-Principal), Velez, Lea Robin. Systems thinking as the nexus of social justice: Addressing the vital link between the dynamic and related systems of social welfare and criminal justice, Common Experience at Texas State University, Institutional (Higher Ed), $1000. (Submitted: July 2022, Funded: October 2022). Grant.
  • Trujillo, Logan Thomas (Principal), Morley, Richard H (Co-Principal), Clary, Kelly L (Co-Principal). Brain Electrical Measurements in Naturalistic and Virtual Environments, Materials Application Research Center (MARC), Texas State University, State, $6020. (Submitted: September 2022, Funded: September 2022 - September 2023). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Member
MSW Committee
September 2023-Present
Member
Student and Community Engagement (SCE) Committee
August 2023-Present
Reviewer / Referee
Psychological Report
July 2023-Present
Consultant
District Attorney's Office for Webb and Zapata County
December 2022-Present
Member
Texas State Field Commitee
September 2021-Present