This work examines student thinking during small-group E&M problem-solving in Oregon State University's junior-level Paradigms in Physics symmetries course. We use multiple theoretical perspectives to understand student thinking and analyze the utility of twelve different perspectives. Bing's 2008 model reveals how student epistemic framing impacts problem-solving. Kuo, Hull, Gupta, and Elby's 2010 blending model and Krutetskii's 1976 model of harmonic reasoning show extensive but varied expertise among students. Sayer and Wittmann's 2008 model shows how resource plasticity impacts students geometric reasoning and how increased plasticity increases the degree to which students accept incorrect results.