This paper is an attempt to devise a method for describing the interplay between the hypothesized conceptualization of emotions, as shown in linguistic expressions, and the bonding function emotions perform in society. Terms for three emotions were considered: joy, grief and anger. Collocational analysis with a special focus on verb phrases of eight words for JOY and three each for GRIEF and ANGER was conducted. Microfiche Concordance to Old English was used as a source of data. The investigation has shown that emotion concepts can be effectively described by means of scenarios consisting of the cause of emotion, an emotion label, and a reaction, and can be structured around conceptual metaphors. The reaction part of the scenario, including the verbal reaction, plays an important role in creating, sustaining and redefining social relations. (Malgorzata Fabiszak)