The Zeitgeist (spirit of the age or spirit of the time) is the intellectual fashion or dominant school of thought that typifies and influences the culture of a particular period in time.For example, the Zeitgeist of modernism typified and influenced architecture, art, and fashion during much of the 20th century.The German word Zeitgeist is often attributed to the philosopher Georg Hegel, but he never actually used the word.he concept of zeitgeist also relates to the sociological tradition that stems from Émile émile durkheim and recently developed into social capital theory as exemplified by the work Of Patrick. Hunout these two perspectives have been combined to create what is known as the interactional approach to. leadership