Yet Another Question.

So recently, some good friends and I were having quite the enlightening conversation.  A curious topic came up.

What is one supposed to do when, hypothetically speaking, someone we care about is being a jerk?  Granted, usually the instinctive answer is to confront the issue, however,  if someone is being a jerk, there's already the issue of a lack of concern for one's feelings at hand - how receptive/concerned will he or she truly be?  I feel like whenever we, as people, confront someone for something, he or she will apologize because it is what is supposed to be done (and to feel better about him/herself as a person).  If that person actually felt sorry for what he or she did, he or she would have produced an apology without being prompted.

That, and I can definitely say the handful of times I've addressed issues with people, nothing's good come from it. Most of these people ended up gone from my life for various reasons, or, as mentioned earlier - produced insincere apologies (then committed said offenses again later).

Anyhow.

When someone we care about is a jerk, is there anything we can do whatsoever?  The more I think about it, I'm convinced the only real potential solution is waiting for this person to come around on his or her own.  Of course, we can always let someone know how disappointed we are with him or her as a person, but then there's the general assumption he or she will be gone from our life for good.

Editor's sidenote:  I know I am human.  I know I am at times a jerk.  I do not, in any way, think I am above such behavior.