Threat

A human needs to be threatening or at least capable of threatening if they want controll over their life. If you don't posses that capability, you won't be able to do anything when you're threatened.

This is something that people who practice martial arts understand quite well. Even though most martial arts should only be used for self defense, they're most certainly capable of being a threat.

In essence, this can be regarded as "the best defense is the best offence." Just by being threatening or capable of threatening, you'll be able to avoid many confrontations or at least achieve a desirable outcome.