We learn that criminal and deviant behavior is not always intrinsically part of an individual's nature. It is not hereditary or the result of a biological condition. Rather, criminal and deviant behavior is learned in the same way that all other behaviors are learned. According to Edwin H. Sutherland in his theory of differential association, learning arises from interactions between individuals and groups. Individuals commit criminal or deviant acts due to repeated contact and interactions with criminal activities and possible lack of contact with non-criminal activities. This explains crime on an individual and social level. Alex Gibney's documentary Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer takes an in-depth look at the notorious New York attorney general and governor who prosecuted crimes committed by America's largest financial institutions and some of its most powerful executives. However, it was later revealed that he had been involved in a sex scandal. He was accused of frequenting prostitutes and the well-known “sheriff of Wall Street” quickly fell. The documentary explores the hidden profile of learning about pride, arrogance, sex and above all, power. Spitzer's illicit and dishonest acts are contrary to his professional commitment to fighting corruption, however, the actions of Spitzer and the prostitutes parallel what they surround themselves with and learn in the context of their training. Eliot Spitzer, son of a wealthy father determined to make him America's first Jewish president, Princeton graduate, husband, father, became a regular customer of a suit-and-tie escort service that catered to its clients' self-delusions. Spitzer was born in New York, graduated from Princeton University and attended law school at Harvard. He was a… middle of paper… individual. Sutherland suggests that behaviors like these are learned. Criminal knowledge is not unique to the learning of other behaviors, and those individuals who repeatedly associate with and are interested in power or criminal activity are those most willing to act rebelliously against social norms. The documentary investigates Eliot Spitzer's great energy and spirit in eliminating crimes committed by powerful executives, large financial institutions and even prostitution. However, his involvement in a sex scandal with high-end prostitutes is an example of how people can learn criminal and deviant behavior. His deviant acts arise from his commitment to fighting corruption just as the actions of the escort services originate from what they have learned and circumscribe with. Work Cited Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer. Directed by Alex Gibney. 2010