The opening scene of "The Sixth Sense" finds Malcolm celebrating an award apparently bestowed on him by the mayor of Philadelphia for outstanding achievement in the field of children's psychology. While therapy is a noble pursuit, and, as we come to learn, Malcolm is a caring and attentive psychologist, it's unclear what his outstanding achievement actually is. What has he done, beyond being all right at his job? Did he handle a high-profile case, perhaps involving the mayor's kid or another youngster in his orbit? Did he publish some pivotal research that revolutionized the field? Did he put a name to a long-misunderstood ailment? What did Malcom actually accomplish?
This might seem a bit nitpicky, but it just feels odd to know that in the reality of "The Sixth Sense," the mayor of the sixth-largest city in the U.S. gives a child psychologist a special plaque for a reason we never quite learn. The plaque and associated award ceremony are presented to us as representative of the Crowes' success, right as we get to know them. This makes the award a fairly important plot element. In a movie that requires its viewers to accept ghosts are real, hard-to-believe details tend to stand out.
