Ormie the Pig: Flexible or Stuck?
I adore the movie Ormie the Pig. It’s animated, funny, and a hit with multiple ages. In case you’re not familiar, Ormie is a pig who spots a jar of cookies on top of the fridge. The cookies are just out of reach and Ormie very much wants those cookies! He tries a wide variety of problem solving techniques including: catapults, trampolines, and even jumping out of the airplane! It’s not uncommon for me to use Ormie during lessons on cognitive flexibility and flexible problem solving.
One afternoon, I was all prepared to give a lesson on perspective taking when the child I was working with started talking about Ormie the Pig. It had been many months since we had watched Ormie together and I learned he recently also analyzed this video in his school group. Excited about the overlap, I asked what they discussed. He shared his group used this video to highlight thoughts being ‘stuck’. Uh oh!
When I teach this lesson, we use it to highlight and emphasize Ormie’s ability to generate multiple ideas/solutions to his problem and to notice how he remains relatively calm during repeated failed attempts to solve a problem.
When I learned this group emphasized the ‘stuck’ thinking, I was panicked! I then paused and realized that we were targeting perspective taking. Perhaps there was another way to view this video - seeing Ormie through a different lens. We pulled out our perspective taking glasses and continued discussing his group’s conversation.
How is he stuck?
I learned they determined Ormie was ‘stuck’ and not being flexible because he was repeatedly thinking about accessing the cookies, didn’t ask anyone for help, and at the end of the video he has a ‘tantrum’ when he doesn’t get what he wants. Those things are all true. I could see how from that perspective you could arrive at that conclusion.
However, I still didn’t agree with that perspective and interpretation ;-). That’s the great thing about perspectives - you don’t have to agree with another person to see their point of view!
How is he flexible?
Our next task was to map out how we had initially viewed the video together. We noticed that Ormie generated a wide variety of different and creative ways to try and access the cookies. We counted, and Ormie problem solved showing a calm body sixteen different ways. I don’t know about you, but I would be hard pressed to generate sixteen unique ways to solve a single problem. Yes, at the end, Ormie ultimately stomps his feet and hits the fridge, but honestly? Who hasn’t had a mini meltdown after trying something *sixteen* different ways?
Like many children, the child involved in this perspective taking adventure was not a fan of the potential for there being two different ‘answers’ or perspectives. It just so happens that perhaps this movie is one instance where there are two valid possibilities. I might think Ormie is being flexible and he might think Ormie was being stuck. It’s all about perspective - how we perceive the events and what thoughts we’re considering when we interpret the video.
“We want to encourage our children to be resilient towards their goals and not to give up just because something is challenging”
What Makes the Difference?
When considering if Ormie was demonstrating flexible problem solving or ‘stuck’ thinking, we repeatedly came back to whether or not Ormie was allowed the cookies. This is information the video did not provide. Yes the cookies were placed up high, but perhaps they were placed up high by a friend after coming over for a snack (a pig may have a giraffe for a friend?). We don’t see any other characters in the movie so it’s hard to tell the age of Ormie. He may live at home with his parents or he may live on his own - potentially even baking the cookies himself!
If you view the video through the lens that Ormie is not allowed the cookies, it seems more plausible that you would interpret Ormie’s thoughts as being ‘stuck’ - he’s struggling to shift past the idea of gaining access to an item that isn’t an option.
From my perspective, Ormie is allowed the cookies. During the clip, we don’t see any additional clues (other than the cookies being up high) to suggest otherwise. We don’t see any unfinished tasks and no additional characters come in to see what was going on - despite Ormie making quite the ruckus!
If we assume Ormie is allowed the cookies, then wouldn’t we want to promote and encourage the generation of a variety of different ways/ideas to solve this problem? We want to encourage our children to be resilient towards their goals and not to give up just because something is challenging. We also promote and encourage maintaining a calm body to support problem solving and overall emotional regulation. Ormie generates *sixteen* different attempts before engaging in any tantrum. From my point of view, that one instance is just fine.
It’s all in your Perspective
Hands down, this discussion on how two different therapists viewed the same Ormie video and arrived at two completely different conclusions was a far more significant lesson on perspective taking than whatever I originally had on our schedule for that day.
We engaged in real time problem solving and were able to talk through differences in perspective in ‘real life’. It also allowed us to consider how two people can view the exact same situation and still arrive at two completely different conclusions.
Our perspective is shaped not only by what we see but by our prior experiences and the inferences and assumptions we make about a situation.
I’ve now added to my list of Ormie lesson plans a plan on ‘perspective taking’ - encouraging children to consider how people could perceive Ormie as being both flexible and stuck. Sometimes there isn’t one right answer.
So what’s your perspective? Is Ormie being stuck or flexible? Is he demonstrating an inability to effectively problem solve or is he generating multiple solutions? How does Ormie appear through your own unique lens?