Nevis suggested that a chinese hierarchy of needs would have four levels, which from lowest to highest would be: self-actualization in the service of society, safety, social, and esteem belonging, physiological, safety, and self-actualization in the service of society social, esteem, physiological, and safety safety, physiological, esteem, and belonging

Edwin C Nevis took Maslow's Hierarchy of needs format for explaining a person's level of psychological needs and modified it for the Chinese culture. Nevis based his hierarchy of needs on the period when Mao Tse Tung was in power. During this period of time individuality was not expressed. The communist sentiment of the community being more important than the individual was stressed. Nevis reduced the number of needs to only four. From the most basic to the highest level of needs they are; belonging, psychology, safety, and self-actualization.