ままに details

Examples

just as one is told or urged — the actor goes along without exercising their own judgment

店員てんいんに勧すすめられるままに、高たかいコースを申もうし込こんでしまった。

ten'in ni susumerareru mama ni, takai koosu o moushikonde shimatta.

I went along with what the clerk pushed and signed up for the expensive plan. neutral

言いわれるままに書類しょるいにサインしちゃったんだよね。

iwareru mama ni shorui ni sain shichatta n da yo ne.

I just signed the papers like they told me to. casual

wherever it takes one — following an impulse or a natural flow rather than a plan (気[き]の向[む]くままに)

気きの向むくままに、知しらない町まちを歩あるいた。

ki no muku mama ni, shiranai machi o aruita.

I wandered around an unfamiliar town wherever the mood took me. neutral

筆ふでの赴おもむくままに書かき綴つづった随筆ずいひつでございます。

fude no omomuku mama ni kakitsuzutta zuihitsu de gozaimasu.

These are essays written just as the pen led. formal

ままに needs someone else's will, or an impulse of one's own, to follow.
A set of instructions with no will behind it takes とおりに instead.

とおりに
とおりに says only that the action matched the instruction and is silent about the actor (説明書せつめいしょのとおりに組くみ立たてた); ままに adds that the actor exercised no judgment at all, so it needs a will to surrender to — ×説明書のままに組み立てた has none and fails.

たまま
たまま hangs off the た-form and marks a state nobody undid, against which the main clause happens (窓まどを開あけたまま出でかけた); ままに hangs off the dictionary form and marks a will the actor keeps following, judgment suspended (言いわれるままに署名しょめいした) — the た crossover exists but shifts the claim, 言いわれたままに書かく being one instruction reproduced faithfully rather than a running surrender.