David Wall Rice, PhD

As a Professor of Psychology at Morehouse College, my program of study places emphasis on identity and personality theory. The primary vehicle in this work is the Identity, Art and Democracy Lab, a research space where we examine identity with life stories and an asset-based lens.  

In the Lab we look at the best parts of how people adapt to a variety of contexts, with special attention to popular culture because of its capacity to influence perception and behavior.

My background in traditional journalism informs my research psychologist orientation.  It is naturally fit to my emphasis on learning from lived experiences, particularly from those whose identities are frequently left unexamined. These life stories ground my identity theory development in strengths.  And this approach guides my commentary and popular spins on race, culture, politics, education and most everything in between. 

My position as professor, lab work and my writing background has built a creative engine that defines an eclectic cross-section of professional spaces within which I operate. Curating Crown Forum, an evolution of weekly Chapel at Morehouse, is an example. Here there is the opportunity to engage diverse voices in ways that are novel, perhaps provocative, and that push us to extend beyond rhetoric.

I draw hard lines around visibility and humanity, representing with those of us who are often pushed to the margins by default.

The book, Identity Orchestration: Black Lives, Balance and the Psychology of Self Stories (2022) — a follow-up to Balance: Advancing Identity Theory by Engaging the Black Male Adolescent (2008) — is an effective representation of the Lab and the constructs that guide us.

I love the work. It can explain a healthy 'us' and can lead to deeper realizations of freedom.