"There have been times I almost got a persecution complex. I felt like people wouldn't let me grow up. They always saw me as a smiling kid or goofy teenager, no matter how much I'd changed"

Rick Schroder's quote talks to the problem of growing up in the public eye. As a kid actor, he was viewed as a smiling kid or wacky teenager, no matter how much he had changed. This could have triggered him to develop a persecution complex, seeming like individuals were not permitting him to grow up. This could have been a difficult experience for him, as he was continuously being evaluated and seen as the same individual he was when he was more youthful. It is understandable that he would feel like he was not being offered the opportunity to grow and develop as a person. It is most likely that this experience has formed his outlook on life and his career.