In the spirit of the mega-selling On Bullshit, philosopher Aaron James presents a philosophical and behavioral theory of the asshole that is both intellectually provocative and existentially necessary.

What is it for someone to be an asshole? The answer is not obvious, despite the fact that we are often personally stuck dealing with people for whom there is no better name. Try as we might to avoid them, assholes are found everywhere--at work, at home, and in the public sphere. Encountering one causes great difficulty and personal strain, especially because we often cannot understand why exactly someone should be acting like that.

Asshole management begins with asshole understanding. Doing for assholes what Machiavelli did for princes, this book gives us the concepts finally to think or say why some people disturb us so, and explains why assholes seem part of the human social condition, especially in an age of raging narcissism and...