Individuality and Conformity (ABRIDGED VERSION)

All people have a need to think and behave as individuals, and in most countries today, this right is protected by law. But people also want to be part of a group and conform to others. How should people balance these two basic needs, and how does Judaism resolve how a Jew can think or behave both as an individual and, at the same time, as part of a large group called Jews?