0. A person who is focusing on internal stimuli may listen in such a way that none of the message comes through or so little of it that he or she cannot grasp the message appropriately and may respond in such a way that the blocking of the message is apparent. A story is told of a columnist in New York who attended numerous cocktail parties and had come to believe that a certain socialite was so preoccupied with making an outstanding impression on her guests that she was unable to hear anything they were saying. To test his theory he came late to her next party; when he was greeted effusively at the door by the hostess, he said, “I’m sorry to be late, but I murdered my wife this evening and had a terrible time stuffing her body into the trunk of my car.” The super-charming hostess beamed and replied, “Well, darling, the important thing is that you have arrived, and now the party can really begin!”